Boston Celtics looking to make ‘uneven trade’ this season
The Boston Celtics could be looking to make an “uneven trade” this season according to MassLive’s Brian Robb; explaining why the front office is keeping an open roster spot ahead of the 2023-24 regular season.
“Barring a surprise name becoming available on the waiver wire later, the Celtics are also expected to begin the season on (opening night) with one roster spot open,” Robb prefaced before saying, “This will allow the front office the option to make an uneven player trade during the season without making a roster cut as well as additional flexibility to add depth if injuries arise.”
As Robb revealed, all partially guaranteed players will be on the opening night roster.
“All players remaining on partially and non-guaranteed deals (Dalano Banton, Svi Mykhailiuk, Luke Kornet, Lamar Stevens) are expected to make the opening night roster a source told MassLive barring a late development,” Robb wrote.
‘Uneven trade’ suggestion indicates possible two-for-one Boston Celtics trade
It’s possible that in the next major blockbuster trade the Boston Celtics make, they may be the ones parting with the highest-paid player in the deal; possibly meaning they’d be also giving up the best player too. An uneven trade suggests a two-for-one, and the Cs having the open roster spot makes them the likely recipients of the two.
Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Payton Pritchard can’t be the players involved in such a two-for-one swap given Brown’s supermax extension, Porzingis’s two-year agreement for 2024-25 and 2025-26, and Pritchard’s four-year MLE-sized pact. Jayson Tatum almost certainly won’t be either. Trading Jrue Holiday would mean giving up the team’s only former NBA champion, so likely not happening either.
That leaves Derrick White and Al Horford as potential trade candidates. Losing either would hurt, but the Cs made aggressive moves for higher-caliber players at the same position in the offseason, and there may only be so many chances to win a title with players like Brown and Tatum in their primes.