The Boston Celtics made plenty of offseason noise by pulling off two blockbuster trades before Opening Night, and they still might not be done.
Sitting atop the Eastern Conference through 20 games played into the 2023-24 season (15-15), Boston isn’t content. Having added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, it was clear the front office and ownership are committed to pulling out all the stops necessary to prevent falling short yet again — a sentiment that might come into play ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.
“I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to see if they can beef up their bench rotation,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on FanDuel Sportsbook’s “Run It Back.”
As far as Boston’s extended starting lineup is concerned, the depth is there.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla can run Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Porzingis and Holiday any given night, plus utilize Al Horford as an interchangeable starter or sixth man — just like Malcolm Brogdon was used last season. That’s not an issue.
The concern is simply supporting depth when Mazzulla needs to sit the starters for much-needed rest in critical third-to-fourth-quarter stretches.
Boston’s dead-last among all teams in the NBA in third-quarter scoring (25.3 points) and field goal percentage (42.2%). Most recently, that dragged the Celtics straight to elimination during Monday night’s NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal battle against the Pacers.
Shooting just 8-for-20 while also committing three turnovers, the Celtics did themselves no favors facing a team they’d previously defeated by scoring a record-flirting 155 points back on Nov. 1. Mazzulla’s squad scored 23 points to Indiana’s 37, allowing the Pacers to take an 11-point lead into the final frame.
Payton Pritchard and Dalano Banton were also a combined 0-for-6 from the field, failing to back Sam Hauser’s 15-point night.
Looking ahead, something needs to change, and with Boston’s reported premature deadline activity, here’s a trio of suitable candidates to consider:
Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls
The risk is low, the price is presumably low and the Bulls are an ideal suitor to go full yard sale mode before the deadline nears.
Chicago failed to build around co-stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, paying the price for Lonzo Ball’s still unknown, but concerning injury status for nearly two years, which means one thing: It’s time to tank!
Drummond, 30, could give the Celtics solid production off the bench as a rim-protecting upgrade, supporting the interior concerns of Porzingis’ still-prevalent injury history. It wouldn’t require much from Drummond to make a difference if utilized solely for front-court role purposes.
A four-time NBA rebounding leader, most recently in 2020, Drummond is averaging 10.5 boards, per 36 minutes while also signed to a two-year, $6.5 million deal with Chicago — several Boston-friendly boxes checked.
Cedi Osman, San Antonio Spurs
Osman was acquired by the Spurs a little over five months ago, but partaking in head coach Gregg Popovich’s darkest era, there’s no reason to stick around with contending teams in need of midseason additions.
The 28-year-old is “expected” to be among several available for trade from San Antonio, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, which could open the door for Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to get creative and explore.
Playing off the bench for the 3-16, last in the Western Conference Spurs, Osman has averaged a solid 8.2 points with two assists and 0.4 steals, shooting a career-high 39.7% from 3-point range. That could give the Celtics another outside shooting threat to pair up with Hauser off the bench, which couldn’t hurt in Boston’s already-outside-shot-hungry offense.
Osman’s currently signed to a $6.7 million expiring contract and is set to hit free agency in 2024.
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
No stranger to trade rumors, Caruso’s been in no better position to be moved from Chicago.
Likely to hit reset, the Bulls have nearly no reason to hold onto Caruso. The team has become a sinking ship, pressuring the front office to decide whether to ride out the campaign with the current cast or go all-in on tanking for a favorable draft position in the 2024 lottery.
Caruso, meanwhile, should have no issue generating trade interest from contending teams or those in the middle of the pact.
The 29-year-old, set to earn $9.4 million plus a partially guaranteed $9.8 million next season, is fresh off earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors last season. Caruso is ranked ninth in blocks (1.4) among all shooting guards while also averaging 9.7 points on 54% shooting from the field through 18 games — both career highs.
Like White and Holiday, Caruso is very flexible in terms of defensive matchups, which could give the Celtics a source of toughness they’ve been missing from the second unit.
Matching the $9.4 million attached to Caruso would be the premier challenge.
Boston still has an open roster spot plus a $6.2 traded player exception from the Grant Williams trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
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