The Boston Celtics seem almost guaranteed to make some sort of move before the 2023-24 NBA trade deadline on February 8.
They likely won’t go after a true star given the assets with which they already parted to pair Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and the rest of the Beantown incumbents. But they’re not a perfect team and could still stand to bolster the rotation as they attempt to end a string of postseason disappointments and lock up the 18th championship in franchise history.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley identified some prominent trade targets who could add to the depth of their lineup, and one would give head coach Joe Mazzulla a plug-and-play three-and-D option who could either supplement the starting lineup against select matchups or come off the bench to fill a versatile role.
Reggie Bullock Would Enhance Boston’s Depth
This isn’t the first time Reggie Bullock has been connected to the Celtics.
“Before signing with Houston, Reggie Bullock had interest from several teams, including the Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Clippers, and Pelicans,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported, citing league sources in late November.
Since landing with the resurgent Rockets, Bullock has struggled to garner much playing time. He’s appeared in just nine contests, averaging only 9.1 minutes and struggling to find much of a shooting rhythm—in stark contrast to the rest of his career.
That, however, might not deter Boston from looking at him as a depth option.
“If they were already drawn to Bullock’s established skill set, it’s hard to imagine they’ll let the choppy start to his Space City tenure turn them away,” Buckley explained for Bleacher Report. “They’re far more likely to trust his nearly decade-long run of solid three-and-D play. His 6’6″, 205-pound frame allows him to cycle through multiple defensive assignments without missing a beat. And while his three-ball might be running cold right now, it’s barely made a dent in his sizzling 38.4 percent career success rate.”
The 32-year-old isn’t even a full calendar year removed from playing solid perimeter defense for the Dallas Mavericks and drilling 38.0% of his 5.1 three-point attempts per game. Before that, he filled similar roles for the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks, even connecting on his 6.1 deep attempts per contest at a stellar 41.0% clip for the Madison Square Garden residents in 2020-21.
Boston, meanwhile, can’t be too picky as it evaluates depth options. The lineup has already been stretched thinner than expected during Porziņģis’ absence, foisting more responsibility on Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and a host of role players.
The Pacers stun the Celtics in early in-season tournament elimination loss:
“This was a big coming out party for Tyrese Haliburton. But I have been worried about the Celtics frontline depth since Day 1.” — @Rachel__Nichols
While helping the Celtics’ earn a 15-5 record, which paces the Eastern Conference, the bench has played its way to a solid 2.9 net rating, which trails only the Golden State Warriors (3.4), Philadelphia 76ers (4.5) and Oklahoma City Thunder (6.1), per NBA.com. The issue is that Mazzulla operates as if he knows the second- and third-stringers can’t be trusted for sustained stretches, leading to fewer bench minutes played than every team but the Rockets.
That’s not a viable long-term strategy. Not if Boston wants to make a deep playoff run without overtaxing the starters prematurely.
The Celtics Are Expected to be ‘Active’ in the Trade Market
“I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation.”
@ShamsCharania‘s biggest concern for the Celtics is late game execution, what kind of player are they missing? 🤔
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“The Celtics gave up a couple first-round picks in that Jrue Holiday trade; they still have a few first-round picks left over. I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation,” NBA insider Shams Charania reported during a December 6 appearance on FanDuel TV.
Bullock won’t be the only option.
Buckley also listed John Konchar and Andre Drummond as legitimate targets, albeit to fill different roles than the three-and-D space the current Houston wing would occupy. Cedi Osman and Alex Caruso could be emerging players to monitor, particularly as the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls continue to flounder. And that’s saying nothing of potential options yet to surface.
February is only a few months away. The Celtics roster almost assuredly won’t look identical to its current form when the 29-day month arrives.
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Celtics Linked to 3-and-D Difference-Maker While Expected to ‘Beef Up’ Rotation