The Complete Celtics NBA Trade Deadline Preview and Predictions for 2024
The Boston Celtics made a lot of roster adjustments during the 2023 NBA summer.
They will not follow suit in front of the impending trade deadline of February 8.
The arrival of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis throughout the summer strengthened a club that was already among the best in the Association. For almost the whole Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown period, Boston has been strong, but the last time the Shamrocks had a winning % this high (.771), you have to go back almost 20 years.
The Celtics are legitimate challengers for the NBA championship. That might give many people—possibly even some of the people in this front office—the impression that Boston can just coast through swap season and see what’s still available on the buyout market. Alternatively, since a championship run seems very likely, the decision-makers can end up searching the trade market for any advantage that can help this group.
Before the deadline, we’ll analyze the Celtics’ situation and make some projections about what might happen once it passes.
The Celtics appear to have what it takes to close a significant transaction.
They still possess the ability to trade up to three of their own first-round picks, despite all of their recent maneuvering. They also have eight more second-round picks at their disposal. Nobody in this trade market is expected to return more draft picks than Boston currently possesses.
However, NBA trades entail more than just assets. This is where it becomes tricky: the funds have to balance.
Every person on our squad who is accumulating coins of any form is a vital component of the rotation. The Celtics are unable of making the money work on any meaningful transaction, with the exception of bundling a few minimum contracts together, which would be a logistical headache for Boston’s potential trade partner.
Their main weapon is the $6.2 million trade exception from the sign-and-trade of Grant Williams, but fully utilizing it would result in a significant tax hike for the Celtics. Although a deal wouldn’t necessarily be prevented by that, the team surely wouldn’t want to pay a hefty tax bill for a player who might not play a significant role in the postseason.
