There have been recent rumors linking Kelly Olynyk back to the Boston Celtics. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are among the teams keeping tabs on Olynyk on Christmas Day 2023.
“League sources say Boston is among the teams that is monitoring Utah’s Kelly Olynyk in advance of a potential trade pursuit,” Stein wrote on his Substack.
Before the Celtics’ game against the Jazz, Olynyk gave his thoughts on the rumors tying him to Boston.
Kelly Olynyk said this morning that he’s heard the rumors that the #Celtics could trade for him.
“Whatever happens, happens. If you’re on Utah or Boston, you put your best foot forward and try to help that organization succeed.”
Full interview: t.co/rifuHfYabX
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“I’ve heard it. It’s kind of like, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’” Olynyk told CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning on January 5. “If you’re in Utah or Boston, you put your best foot forward and try to help that organization succeed and accomplish their goals.”
Olynyk added that his focus will all depend on the goals of the team he’s on.
“If it happens in Utah, that’s where my focus is. If it happens somewhere else, that’s where my focus will shift to.”
The Jazz are 16-19, have won three straight, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. If their recent success proves to not be a fluke, they may see Olynyk as a possible keeper going forward. It’s also possible they trade him for a possible upgrade like the Miami Heat did when they traded him to the Houston Rockets for Victor Oladipo in 2020.
Jazz Reporter Explains Why Kelly Olynyk Trade Won’t Happen
Even though acquiring Kelly Olynyk would help the Celtics, making such a trade happen is easier said than done. The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen explained why such a deal would be tough for the Jazz to agree to.
“Boston’s six highest-paid players are all key rotation pieces to what the Celtics do, players all clearly better than Olynyk. The bottom nine are all relatively replaceable. But it would take five of the cheaply paid players going out of the Celtics’ end of the trade for a deal to work under league rules.
“In a two-team trade, that means that the Jazz would have to find five roster spots for those players. Would the Jazz be willing to trade or cut four players (besides Olynyk) on their roster to make a deal work? I just don’t think so,” Larsen wrote in a January 4 story.
Larsen added how an Olynyk reunion in Boston would most likely work.
“The Celtics’ interest, then, probably would have to come after the deadline. Surely, they’ll watch what happens with a potential buyout market situation.”
Given how inexpensive his contract is, it doesn’t seem likely that the Jazz would waive him.
Celtics Plan to Keep Luke Kornet: Report
While the Celtics could chase Olynyk, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Celtics plan to keep Luke Kornet.
“Boston is expected to keep reserve center Luke Kornet, who has many fans among Celtics staffers, past his upcoming guarantee date of Jan. 10, sources said,” Fischer wrote in a January 5 story.
While not naming names, Fischer added it will likely be the same cases with some of the other end-of-the-bench Celtics.
“The other non-guaranteed veteran players on the Celtics all hold the likelihood of remaining in Boston for the foreseeable future as well, if only as a valuable roster spot and tradeable salary for the Celtics to play with, in addition to a $6.25 million trade exception.”
Things can change when the deadline comes around, but since they’re not desperate, drastic alterations may not be necessary.
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Kelly Olynyk Responds to Celtics Reunion Rumors