Boston Celtics: 3 panic deals to avoid at the trade deadline

It’s fair to wonder just how bad it is going to get for the Boston Celtics this season. Following a split-second loss that saw the Cs lose their fifth loss in six games, Boston sits three games below .500 at 20-23.

Losing to the Bucks is forgivable, especially because of how close last night’s tilt in Milwaukee was. Late-game execution was the culprit, but when a team is going through this many struggles, being competitive against a top contender in the conference is a minor victory in and of itself.

If celebrating moral victories feels like a disappointing reality after being 96 minutes away from an NBA Finals appearance, don’t think you are alone.

That said, in a season as chaotic as the 2020-21 campaign, celebrating the things the team is doing right is almost as imperative as bashing the team for what it is doing wrong.

This current Celtics iteration isn’t deeply flawed, but there simply isn’t enough talent across the roster to field an elite unit in the Eastern Conference. Sitting pat at the deadline would be a death sentence for this group’s chances of making noise in the 2021 postseason.

Of course, there’s the flipside. If the wrong moves are made, this team could be doing irreparable harm to the long-term health of the current core.

What would be considered the wrong move? Well, the following three trade scenarios qualify as such:

Boston Celtics panic trade to avoid #1: Trading Marcus Smart for less than a star

Hardwood Houdini has grappled with the idea of losing Marcus Smart for years now, simultaneously recognizing his on-court value while also viewing his $13 million salary as one of the few trade chips capable of bringing on an impact player.

That’s the key, here. Someone like Aaron Gordon or Evan Fournier does not qualify as such. John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic are much more preferable options that provide efficient enough offense to offset the defensive loss that a Smart trade would bring.