Trade season is very much underway in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz got things going with a guard swap, and the Boston Celtics are expected to be active in talks as well.
Every team in the league is going to be looking to make an improvement over the next several months, and the Boston Celtics always seem to find themselves smack dab in the middle of the rumor mill.
The first significant report came from Adrian Wojnarowski, who stated that Andre Drummond is firmly on the trade block. Drummond would be a perfect fit for the Boston Celtics in a world where the salary cap doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, well, it does. Swapping any of Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum or Marcus Smart is off the table, making such a deal a non-starter.
This season is wide open, at least relative to the past few seasons. Few teams figured it was worth making major roster changes and taking gambles when it was a near-certainty that Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors would end up raising the Larry O’Brien trophy when it was all said and done.
Now, though, it is all on the table. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz swapped Jordan Clarkson and Dante Exum, and that is likely only the beginning. The 2020 free agent class isn’t particularly strong, with Anthony Davis a near lock to remain in Los Angeles.
There is no better time than the present for most of the league. Very few teams are out of the playoff hunt, with even bottom feeders like Golden State and Atlanta one win-streak away from being in striking distance.
With that said, the Celtics seem likely to get involved in deals in some capacity. Here are the Houdini’s thoughts on what is likely to happen if a trade were to occur: