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One of NBA's most storied franchise, the Boston Celtics sure know how to make their way back to the center-stage every time they are snubbed. Even with Irving and Hayward unavailable for the most part of the previous season due to injury, the Celtics were beaten in a Game 7 of the East Finals by LeBron, just one game shy of the biggest stage.
With all their stars in place, they were expected to be on a tear this season. Unfortunately, the underwhelming 25-18(0.581) record down at the 5th spot on the East leaderboard has tempered all expectations so far. Their most recent loss to the Magic down the stretch followed by Kyrie's exasperation towards the team's inexperience to make it in crunch situations was a sneak-peek into the uneasy basketball scenario down in Boston right now.
The mid-season trade deadline ends on February 7th, and common experience speaks of an imminent exchange of playing talent between the Cs and the rest of the teams.
Let's dig deep into the current situation in Boston and the prominent factors that might drive their trade interests in the coming weeks.
#1 Nobody expects Boston to trade away 2019 first-round draft picks.
Teams usually do not drool over the idea of trading future first-round picks, as the draft tends to provide economical and high-quality labor. Danny Ainge and the Celtics are no different!
According to Shaun Deveney of The Sporting News,
"The Celtics are poised to have three first-rounders in next year’s draft, and possibly two lottery picks. But, according to league sources, none of Boston’s picks are expected to be available at the deadline."
With the current roster stuffed with game-winning potential, there is little incentive for Boston to part with future picks. Also, the looming possibility of having as many as four first-round picks(Celtics' own pick, Kings' pick, Grizzlies' pick, and a lottery protected Clippers' pick) adds to the cause. An added motivation being that these future picks help and stabilise the rotation in the wake of a mass free-agency exodus.
The front office can trade them to get a player to win now(which is not likely to happen) or save them and bag roster depth with young picks later, making it a win-win case.
#2 Future free agents and how to go about the Summer of 2019
With Kyrie committed to Boston and most likely to sign a five-year max deal this summer, the path of backup point-guard Terry Rozier does not look exciting. Kyrie, who is just two years older than Terry, has affected a drastic fall in playing minutes for him. Apparently, Scary Terry's heroics last season to lead the inexperienced Kyrie-less Celtics squad to the East Finals could not overshadow Uncle Drew's unflinching resume.
Rozier becomes a restricted free-agent this summer along with one-half of the Morris twins and starting forward, Marcus Morris who will be on the market as an unrestricted free agent.
Ainge's master plan for the summer might require him to hold on to all his assets till February 7, and his take on the same did not suggest otherwise,
"It just depends. I like every guy on our team. I like our roster. There will be trade conversations, obviously. Every year it happens with every team. But we’ll only do something that makes sense."
As a result, the future free agents might just make it through another peaceful season in Boston rather than being shuffled mid-season.
#3 Players they need to bag in order to have a legit shot at the title.
At this point in the trade timeline, almost everybody would be lucky to land Anthony Davis. But the Celtics have been deemed the front-runners in landing the 25-year-old phenom as they possess the greatest supply of possible assets by far.
Davis would be a free-agent in 2020 and if he can't assure complete commitment to the Pelicans, they can and should cash in on his astronomical value currently.
According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Celtics should not look at the deal from a long-term perspective as well and go ahead even without an assured commitment from AD on the table,
“That might leave only Boston and the Lakers with the combination of assets, remaining roster power, and market/historical appeal. The Celtics want their chance, and if they get it, expect them to be ultra-aggressive even without any assurances from Davis that he will re-sign. The Celtics are confident in the team and culture they have built under Brad Stevens.”
Danny Ainge and co. would want to repeat what they pulled off with Irving in the open market last season, only now with the possibility of landing two of the best right now in Beal and/or Davis.
However, the only way the salary cap allows Ainge to bag Davis before July is if Kyrie is taken off the roster, which seems highly unlikely even though he's becoming an unrestricted free agent in July and the fact that the team's not playing that good so far.
Stacking up all the cards, the Celtics are still superiorly poised than Lakers on the players' trade radar and we already know Danny Ainge is not one to get scared of murky waters that lie ahead.
