3 No-brainer trades Celtics should make before the deadline

2. Celtics add another bench option

Boston needs trusted ball-handlers and playmakers in the playoffs. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are arguably the best defensive guard combo in the NBA, but who comes in off the bench? Payton Pritchard fell out of the playoff rotation in 2023, and the undersized guard will struggle on the defensive end. 

The Celtics should try to acquire a defensive-minded backup point guard before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Several options figure to be available, but Dennis Smith Jr. could be the best. The Brooklyn Nets are ten games under .500 and 11th in the Eastern Conference. They should look to sell his expiring contract, and the Celtics may add depth at a minimal cost. 

Boston has eight second-round draft picks available to trade, so giving up two would not take a second thought, especially if Brad Stevens believed he was adding a crucial rotation piece. 

DSJ struggles to shoot, but he is averaging 7.2 points, 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 19.9 minutes per game for the Nets this season. The former ninth-overall pick remade his career as a backup point guard in 2023. He defends hard and makes plays. The Celtics would love to have him to turn to if Payton Pritchard is being played off the floor in the playoffs.