The Boston Celtics are prepping for the 2026-27 season, and as things stand, it’s likely that the roster the Celtics have as camp opens will pretty much be the roster the team has late in the season. The Jaylen Brown trade was their big move, bringing in Paul George and adding Mitchell Robinson at center, to boot, and they’ve been rumored to be seeking another trade for a younger star to pair with Jayson Tatum. But if and when that happens, it will likely be a deal that will come after the season.
The bigger question: Who, if anyone, would the Celtics target on the market if they decide to go for an upgrade? Speaking on the CLNS podcast this week, James Edwards of The Athletic floated a little-heard name in these parts: Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks.
Celtics Could Be in Position for a Trade
Towns, of course, was the key deciding factor in pushing the Knicks to a championship this season, along with point guard Jalen Brunson. he is the kind of point-center big man so many teams would like to have, but are so rare in the league. Towns is currently embroiled in a contract extension standoff with the Knicks, and could land in free agency next summer if he opts out of his $61 million player option.
If the Knicks need to move Towns, sending him to the rival Celtics would be an odd decision. But the Celtics are in position to make a deal work if the Knicks did decide they needed to move off of Towns.
Karl-Anthony Towns Possibility?
Here’s what Edwards told Bobby Manning on his “Celtics Daily” podcast.
He said: “I think there are a ton of players who would mesh with them but the question is, who is available? Someone always becomes available. We see this every year—who’s available? Then somebody gets traded and we say, ‘Oh, that player is available.’ … Listen, what if Karl-Anthony Towns if his thing in New York does not work out? Is that a possibility? When is the last time the Celtics have had—the Vucevic experience did not work out, Al Horford filled that role and that is the best Boston we have seen. He was doing it at an age older than Towns will be at that time.
“What if Towns just opts out and gets the longer deal?”
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