Could a trade deadline move shake Celtics from midseason malaise? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Before we spend a few hundred words pondering what the Boston Celtics might do in advance of next Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, let’s make one thing absolutely clear.
Regardless of what Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens does at the deadline — big, or more likely, very very small — the Celtics’ quest to repeat as champs hinges on their current players being, 1) Healthy and, 2) Far more dialed in than they’ve been over the the past five weeks.
You know the numbers by now. The Celtics are 12-10 since December 19, stuck on a hamster wheel in which we all spend one day wondering how in the world they fumbled away a surefire win, then ponder whether this team has found its championship mojo when things look better the next night.
Overshadowed by late-game blunders that cost this team wins over Houston and Atlanta, the Celtics have quietly made some encouraging strides in recent weeks. A handful of note:
Over his past 10 games, Porzingis is averaging 21.6 points while shooting 52.1 percent overall and 53.1 percent from 3-point range on 6.4 attempts per game. That culminated Wednesday with a 34-point outburst, which saw Porzingis erupt for 26 first-half points and knock down eight triples overall. He’s earning with meat.
The quintet of Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown had a minus-11.8 net rating over its first 10 appearances together. That ranked 32nd out of the 33 five-man lineups in the NBA with at least 130 minutes played together.
Over their last five games together, Boston’s preferred starters has a much-glossier +25.5 net rating, including a sizzling 128.7 offensive rating in 75 minutes of court time.
That group is now at a +0.5 net rating overall, which isn’t great, but at least it’s in the positive. Of the 18 five-man lineups in the NBA with at least 200 minutes played, Boston’s preferred five ranks 10th overall.
Ironically, the Celtics’ starting five with Horford in place of Porzingis tops that list with a +20.1 net rating in 215 minutes together.
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Head coach Joe Mazzulla is still tinkering with rotations, particularly when the team is at full strength, but the team is more commonly finding groups that work.
The Celtics have let Porzingis set the tone early — he’s scored eight-plus points in nine of his last 10 first quarters — while Tatum has more commonly checked out early in the first quarter and has been the focal point of bench-heavy pairings spanning into the second quarter.
Despite all this, Boston still has not put together a sustained winning streak since late November. The Celtics continue to rank in the top five in offensive and defensive rating and sit third in net rating, even shuffling a little closer to Cleveland this month. But they simply must find more consistency with their play before the postseason arrives.
Now, the trade deadline.
Limited by the restrictions placed on big-spending teams under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics don’t have many avenues to improve their roster. A second-apron team with $200-plus million in contracts this season, the Celtics cannot combine salaries in any trade and cannot send out cash in any transaction, eliminating previous pathways to tweaking the roster.
What’s more, Boston cannot sign any buyout player who was previously making north of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception ($12.8 million). The Celtics have one open roster spot to fill if they desire to carry 15 players into the postseason.
All of which is our long-winded way of suggesting that this could be one of Boston’s quieter deadlines. Stevens made 21 trades in his first 32 months on the job to shape a championship roster and now must decide if this season’s squad needs any small tweaks to aid the march for Banner 19.
One year ago, Stevens made trades Nos. 19, 20, and 21, sending out Dalano Banton and Lamar Stevens while bringing back Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer in a flurry of February transactions.
For much of the 2024-25 season, there’s been speculation about whether Springer and his modest $4 million salary might be moved in order to lessen Boston’s tax burden. Springer’s deal counts more like $16 million towards the books based on multiplier penalties the team face for lingering so far above the tax line.
Ironically, Springer has been one of Boston’s more consistent end-of-the-bench players in this recent stretch. He might have singlehandedly saved the team from another head-slapping loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, and he’s been a chaos-inducing defender any time he’s been called upon in the aftermath.
The question becomes whether it’s more beneficial for Boston to lean into his development. Springer is still only 22 years old and will be a restricted free agent after the season. The Celtics already spent draft capital to acquire him from the 76ers last season and he has obvious potential if he can more consistently knock down open 3-point shots (which he’s done in recent games).
Still, Springer’s $4 million contract is the only pathway to acquiring any player above a minimum salary without trading someone among the team’s top nine players.
The path of least resistance is simply filling the vacant roster spot without sending out a current roster player. Boston could even punt on the trade deadline and ponder the players available on the buyout market. A year ago, Boston filled an open roster spot by simply converting big man Neemias Queta from a two-way contract to the parent roster.
While there have been endless questions about Boston’s big-man depth, Queta has been more than serviceable as a fourth big, while Luke Kornet has been a net rating darling, producing some of his best basketball (outside of the two defensive lapses at the end of the Houston game).
If Stevens and his front office staff were to splurge draft capital to hunt a 15th roster player at the deadline, our wish list would be topped by a big wing.
The Celtics could benefit from an athletic defender capable of guarding opposing 3s and 4s, taking some of that stress off the tandem of Tatum and Brown, while maybe helping reel in some of the role players who have scorched the Celtics beyond the 3-point arc in recent games.
Oshae Brissett, who occupied that role last season, remains unsigned and recently joined Brooklyn’s G-League affiliate. Each night you’ll find yourself studying the opposing roster trying to determine if there’s a low-salary player who could help the Celtics.
On Wednesday, you find yourself Googling the injury status of Bulls veteran Torrey Craig. On Friday, we’ll wonder if Pelicans wing Javonte Green might be available given the way he’s emerged as a solid NBA role player since his first stint in Boston. On Sunday, we’ll daydream about the Sixers electing to tank to save their draft pick and wonder if old friend Guerschon Yabusele might get moved.
There ultimately might be an opportunity to add someone with more experience than Springer or second-year wing Jordan Walsh. But Boston also has to lean into its development sooner than later given how expensive the players on the top half of the roster are.
The question invariably becomes whether any player can truly move the needle for the Celtics as a depth piece.
A healthier Sam Hauser would go a long way toward shoring up some of what ails the Celtics in this current stretch. Xavier Tillman showed he could be a versatile defender as an occasional playoff presence last season, though he’s barely been able to get off the bench for Boston this season and was ineffective when he got early run against Houston on Monday.
Some teams need to make a move just to give a team a jolt. The Celtics, with their midseason malaise, seemingly would fall into that category, but talent isn’t the issue here. Can the Celtics simply acquire an infusion of focus for their current core?
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