For some reason, many of the top potential superstar trade options who could hit the market ahead of the trade deadline are being linked to the Boston Celtics despite the Cs owning the league’s best record as 2022 concludes and 2023 begins.
First, Trae Young was linked to the Celtics as the third most likely landing spot for the Atlanta Hawks floor general even though Marcus Smart is holding down the fort just fine in the Boston backcourt.
Now, DeMar DeRozan — whose Chicago Bulls could be set to begin a rebuild with their three-star system alongside Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic not working thus far through one and a half seasons — similarly has just two teams ahead of the Cs in the latest trade odds (+500) from SportsBetting.AG (h/t NBA Analysis Network).
The Boston Celtics won’t add a third isolation-heavy scoring forward
In terms of fit on the Boston Celtics, DeMar DeRozan’s is even less suitable than Trae Young’s would be. With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum already carrying the torch for the Cs offense, adding a third player who similarly needs the ball in his hands would make little sense — especially considering the assets it’d take to land DeRozan.
While mortgaging the future with a bevy of draft picks is possible if Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White’s salaries are included, along with young players like Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams, the offense would be slowed to a halt with DeRozan in tow. A sub-30% 3-point shooter, DeRozan would fundamentally alter how Joe Mazzulla would go about his offensive schemes.
What’s more likely is the Miami Heat adding him to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to make a new, albeit far less spectacular, ‘big 3’ to follow the lead of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh over a decade ago.
What is even more likely than that is LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers making a deal for him (and potentially Nikola Vucevic) using Russell Westbrook’s expiring $47 million salary. L.A. has the best odds at +200 while Miami is at +400.