Getty Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics have put together an impressive season thus far. Despite their recent skid (they’ve lost their last three games), they still lay claim to the best record in the NBA at 35-15. However, there is always room for improvement.
With the February 9 trade deadline rapidly approaching, Boston will have some important decisions to make regarding whether or not they will choose to make additions. Payton Pritchard has been a name commonly brought up, and in his recent mailbag, a Celtics fan asked Brian Robb of MassLive about a potential deal involving Golden State Warriors big man James Wiseman. Robb shut it down immediately.
“Celtics hang up on that offer right away,” Robb wrote. “Wiseman looks like a bust at this point so you don’t give up a first round pick and a useful bench player for a guy who is not bringing anything to the table at this point of his career. The Celtics’ overseas prospects don’t really have any trade value at the moment, they could serve as a throw-in/sweetener to a low-impact deal but nothing beyond that. Same for the two-way guys.”
Pritchard has struggled to earn regular playing time this season, as the Celtics added Malcolm Brogdon via trade this past summer. However, in recent weeks, he’s been putting up better numbers due to an increase in overall opportunities.
Meanwhile, Wiseman has also struggled to earn regular playing time in Golden State’s rotation. However, the reason behind his absence in the lineup is because of his play, not because of the guys in front of him. Wiseman has been sent to the G League multiple times this season because of his struggles.
Even JaMychal Green has earned looks over Wiseman, despite the latter being the second-overall pick just a few years ago in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Warriors Interested in Payton Pritchard Trade
With how inconsistent Pritchard’s playing time has been this year, he’s almost always the first name brought up in potential trade talks. And according to Robb, the Warriors are one of the teams who have inquired about the possibility of a deal for Pritchard.
“Payton Pritchard’s lack of consistent playing time in the Celtics rotation has unsurprisingly led to a number of playoff teams inquiring about the availability of the reserve guard including the defending champion Golden State Warriors, league sources tell MassLive,” Robb wrote. “Despite these overtures, the Celtics have shown no interest in trading the 25-year-old guard to this point, according to multiple sources, with Pritchard re-entering Boston’s rotation during the past week following Jaylen Brown’s injury.”
Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics Trade Deadline Plans
As for Boston’s trade deadline plans as a whole, Brad Stevens recently revealed the team’s gameplan in that regard during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“I think we always have to be looking at how we can improve because I think we’re in the mix and I think we’re good, I think we’re hard to beat, but there are other teams that are like that, too,” Stevens said, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “So anything that you can do to improve your opportunities, you need to really vet and look at… We have a really good core that’s played together in big moments, that understands what those moments are like, and knows how to get to where we ultimately want to go. I think what is probably more likely is evaluating how to fortify your depth, how to make sure you are as foolproof as possible.”