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The NBA trade deadline is under a month away and while the Boston Celtics have not swung an in-season trade in six years, the team appears bound to put their $28.6 million traded player exception to good use. Engulfed in trade chatter and linked to disgruntled superstars for months, it looks as if Danny Ainge and the crew are gearing up to finally pull the trigger on a deal.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, rival executives believe that Boston is “hunting” for a player who can essentially replace the skillset left behind by Gordon Hayward by playing either forward spot and provide some “scoring punch.”
The Celtics no longer have a deep cache of draft assets from other teams to potentially include in a deal. They do still have all of their own future first-round picks, as well as the massive trade exception, which puts them in better trade position than most other contending teams. Rival executives believe they are hunting for a player who can play either forward spot and provide some scoring punch — exactly the kind of player they lost when Hayward left.
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Potential Trade Fits for the Celtics
Bontemps added that “league insiders don’t believe the Celtics can stand pat and potentially waste a year of the primes of their two young building blocks [Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown] who are playing at an elite level.” If that’s the case, here are a number of players Boston could look to surround their two superstars with at the trade deadline.
John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
Bill Simmons’ “dream pickup,” Collins-Celtics chatter has been growing louder over the past few weeks. As we sit here today, he appears to be the preferred acquisition amongst the masses. Just one season removed from averaging 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-9-inch, 235-pound forward offers intriguing upside with a nice touch from beyond the arc. The 23-year-old has shot 39.2% from three over his last 76 games. Collins will be an unrestricted free-agent after the season and is believed to be in search of a deal north of $100 million.
Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer previously reported that the Mavericks have “quietly gauged” the trade market surrounding their big man – a report that owner Mark Cuban has strongly refuted.
In a “realistic” trade proposal to acquire Porzingis, Fischer has Boston unloading a plethora of intricate pieces to their current roster, including Kemba Walker and Robert Williams. Porzingis has battled injuries of late, but when healthy could be exactly what Boston is in search of from their front line. Just a few months ago he earned second-team All-Bubble honors by averaging 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
Barnes, seemingly the fan-favorite to head to Boston just a few weeks ago, now looks unlikely to be moved. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, rival execs have received no indication that the Kings are willing to trade Barnes.
Playing arguably the best ball of his career, the 28-year-old would appear to be a logical fit alongside the two Js, and potentially the best option to replace what the Celtics lost by moving off of Hayward. Barnes is shooting a career-high 49.3% from the field.
Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons
Ex-Celtic Brian Scalabrine views Grant as the “perfect fit” for his former team – a take that’s hard to argue. Grant has emerged as a lethal scoring option during his first year in the Motor City. Having averaged just 9.45 ppg over his previous six NBA seasons, Grant’s 23.4 ppg in 2020-21 rank 22nd in the NBA. Grant offers position flexibility and ability to get to the rim with regularity. With that said, there are questions on how he would fit into a secondary role.
Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
While Cs fans would likely prefer Gordon’s teammate, Nikola Vucevic, Gordon would be a sound consolation price. Furthermore, he could potentially come cheaper than any other player on this list. Still just 25-years-old, Gordon is an athletic frontcourt piece that is interchangeable from the three-spot down to the five.
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