Boston Celtics Trade Rumors: 3 things to expect before next week's trade deadline

Ahead of the 2018/19 NBA season, the Boston Celtics were the heavy favorites to advance from the Eastern Conference. A path to the NBA Finals had finally opened up following LeBron James' move to Los Angeles, and Boston appeared best equipped to become the division's new dominant force.

After all, they had reached the Eastern Conference Finals with a team missing both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, while boasting a roster full of exciting young players including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Nevertheless, the Celtics have disappointed so far this term and will face tough competition in the Playoffs from both the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers. The window to make trades will close in just a few days' time, so here we look at three things to expect from the Celtics in the build-up to the trade deadline:

#3 No offers for Gordon Hayward

Hayward is averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 42.2% shooting this term

During the 2017 off-season, Gordon Hayward joined the Boston Celtics from the Utah Jazz on a reported four-year, $128 million contract. Hayward was expected to form part of a dynamic partnership with fellow All-Star Kyrie. However, he suffered a season-ending injury on the opening night of the 17/18 campaign.

He has since returned to full fitness, though the 28-year-old has failed to break into the Celtics starting five and his scoring production is down significantly from the numbers he posted during his final years in Utah. His poor form has seen him linked with a trade away from the team, but a mid-season trade makes little sense.

They will have an incredibly difficult time finding a buyer for Hayward given his huge contract and the power forward could yet return to his former self in future. A trade may present itself later in 2019, though it makes little sense this month.

#2 No major acquisitions

Anthony Davis' feelings have been made public knowledge: He wants to play for a challenging team

After spending his entire NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans to date, Anthony Davis has finally announced his intentions to leave the franchise. Davis made the announcement on Monday in order to increase the likelihood of a last-minute trade, although the Pelicans are said to have only received underwhelming offers so far.

The Celtics are known to be desperate to acquire the 25-year-old superstar, although the team cannot make a move until the summer due to the Rose Rule. Nevertheless, analysts around the NBA believe that Boston has the assets in order to get a deal done, and the Pelicans are increasingly likely to retain their star until the off-season for this reason.

Ultimately, the Celtics can still compete for a Championship this year without further additions in the coming week, while unwilling to sacrifice their summer plans in order to add a third star ahead of the deadline on February 7.

#1 Terry Rozier stays - but leaving in the summer

Terry Rozier has repeatedly expressed his frustration with his current role on the Celtics bench. Rozier believes that he should be a regular starter, and it is worth noting that there are a number of teams across the NBA currently on the lookout for a young point guard.

Nevertheless, if the Celtics moved Scary Terry on ahead of the deadline, the team would be left short for the remainder of the season.

After all, Rozier is among the league's best back-up point guards and during last season's playoffs, the 24-year-old averaged 16.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest. The Celtics also have worries over Irving's tendency to pick up injuries and it makes little sense from their perspective to let Terry leave before the deadline.

Evidently, Rozier has no long-term future in Boston and is likely to depart in the summer. However, Boston fans can expect the popular point guard to stick around until the end of the season.

Edited by Mosope Ominiyi