Former Boston Celtics championship PG advocates against any deadline trades
When it comes to the upcoming NBA trade deadline, analysts are split on what path the Boston Celtics should go down between standing pat and making that one last move to nudge itself over the top.
Some, like Boston.com’s Peyton Doyle, want to see a major splash, while analysts like MassLive’s Brian Robb want to see the team avoid dealing any of the team’s tradeable assets, like Payton Pritchard.
Former 2007-08 Boston Celtics championship point guard Eddie House weighed in on the Celtics Talk podcast with Chris Forsberg and Tom Giles, saying he’d rather not see the front office tinker with the team’s precious camaraderie (h/t NBC Sports Boston):
"“I’m not sure if I want to shake anything up because I know how fragile camaraderie is. When you have a team that has jelled and is moving in the right direction — it finally seems like everything is coming together, right? Offensively, defensively, guys coming off the bench, guys who haven’t been playing a lot coming in — and those are the guys that people are saying should be on the trade block, right? I don’t know if you want to fracture that.”“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And at the same time, if you do go get somebody that you feel can replace somebody else, how does that interact with the locker room?”"
Undoubtedly, House knows a thing or two about that all too precious intangible considering his championship credentials.
The best way for the Boston Celtics to find someone who is a good chemistry fit
There is a somewhat playing-it-safe way for the Boston Celtics to preserve this chemistry and it’d involve staying quiet at the deadline. That’d be preserving the final roster spot and aim to find the best fit at a position (or positions) of need using 10-day contracts.
Perhaps guys that didn’t receive looks in the offseason like DeMarcus Cousins and LaMarcus Aldridge could be given trial-runs. Dwight Howard too if he wants to return from Taiwan. On the wing, Mo Harkless could serve as a cheap fill-in.
Whoever the front office finds, they can cut bait quickly if there is any chemistry disruption should they use the 10-day contract feature of the collective bargaining agreement to add a veteran win-now talent.