Boston Celtics: 3 Cs that can be traded to clear roster spot for ring-chaser

What Boston Celtics HC Ime Udoka has done during the 2021-22 season has been nothing short of miraculous in many ways following a 2021 calendar year that was perhaps the most trying of the Brad Stevens era.

And that’s even with the toxic drama the 2018-19 season offered. And a global pandemic in 2020.

With the Cs knocking on the doorstep of Banner 18, it’s hard to believe this team was out of the postseason picture entirely as late in the season as January. A home run of an NBA trade deadline–Stevens’ first in his new role as President of Basketball Operations–and good health, following a December from hell for the NBA due to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, was all it took to propel the Cs past two (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant) of the NBA’s greatest active players during the NBA’s 2022 Eastern Conference playoffs.

As this season has progressed, key Cs have risen to the occasion, making an NBA Championship ring a feasible. Not everyone in green has done the same, though.

If Boston doesn’t end up hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, here are 3 Celtics that can be traded to make room for a veteran looking to win a ring with a core proving capable of getting close:

Boston Celtics SG/SF Aaron Nesmith

After showing flashes of being a potential contributor towards the tail end of the 2020-21 season, Aaron Nesmith’s current campaign has been devoid of the same hope, leading to an across-the-board regression in the Vanderbilt product’s counting stats and shooting percentages, besides the free-throw line.

Being that he has scored five points all offseason and is one of the few trade chips that might be able to garner an additional draft pick in the coming years, Nesmith could be a goner if changes are coming this offseason.