Boston Celtics: 4 teams Cs should immediately engage in trade talks with

Once again, the 2020-21 Boston Celtics season has reached critical mass following a third straight loss for the team…this time to the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings entered a 3-way tie for the #13 seed in the Western Conference following their victory over the Cs last night. During a season of struggle for Sacramento, Luke Walton was able to rally his guys in a double-digit victory against the league’s most disappointing contender.

If we are still even calling the Boston Celtics that this season.

Last night’s effort was underwhelming at best and worrying at worst. Not a single member of the Cs was able to crack the 20-point bar against a Sacramento Kings defense that ranks second-to-last in opponents’ points per game.

Worse yet, the Cs allowed the Kings’ “big 3” of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and…*checks notes*…Richaun Holmes to score 20+ points last night.

The loss knocked the Celtics down to below .500 once again, and if the season ended today, Boston would be taking part in the play-in tournament between the no. 7-10 seeds in the conference. To say that Danny Ainge expected this to happen after handing out over $200 million in salary this past offseason (mostly to Jayson Tatum, but still) would be a bald-faced lie.

With all of that said, it doesn’t have to end this way. With the assets the team possesses–including all future first-round picks moving forward and several recent draft picks–a deal is far from impossible.

With these four teams, there is enough synergy on both sides to get a deal done, and the Cs should immediately pursue a deal with these franchises: