Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks at a news conference during the NBA basketball team’s media day.
The Celtics have gotten off to the best start in the Eastern Conference through 20 games but that isn’t expected to keep Brad Stevens quiet in the trade market according to one NBA insider.
Shams Charania of Stadium spoke about what he anticipates will be Boston’s trade intentions in the weeks and months to come in an appearance on Fanduel TV on Tuesday morning.
“The Celtics gave a couple of first round picks in the Jrue Holiday trade but they still have a few left over,” Charania said on Run It Back. “I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation.”
The Celtics bench has performed quite admirably in the first two months of the season given their personnel. Collectively, the group is knocking down 39.3 percent of their 3s which ranks third among benches in the NBA.
The reserves are also collectively playing less than every team in the NBA so far, which is no surprise given the firepower in the starting five following the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
However, there’s a case to be made that Boston could use a scoring boost off the bench since the second unit is collectively averaging just 25.7 points per game, which ranks 29th in the NBA through 20 games.
The return of Porzingis to the lineup may help things on the front but Charania expects that to be an area that will need to be continually addressed as the team tries to tread cautiously with him given his history of injury woes.
“No Kristaps Porzingis so that was a significant loss in the lineup,” Charania said. “We will see how it comes back but a strained calf, that’s something you want to be careful with given his injury history.”
Ultimately, Boston has the tools to be creative in the months to come to put the finishing touches on their roster. They already have an open roster spot available along with a Grant Williams TPE worth $6.2 million.
With a bevy of leftover draft picks also still in the team’s chest of assets, look for Stevens to be aggressive in trying to create a well-rounded roster that can withstand an injury or two as trade season kicks off on December 15th.
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