The Boston Celtics, along with the rest of the NBA, have been relatively quiet in the buildup to the NBA Trade Deadline, which is just two days away now. Rumors have been flying around like crazy, but for the most part, not much has happened yet. That will change over the next 48 hours.
The Celtics have been one of the more involved teams in lead up to the deadline. They have been involved in seemingly every rumor out there, and while they have only made one small deal so far, it seems likely they will be involved in at least one more before 3:00 PM strikes on Thursday. The goal of the front office appears to be getting the team under the luxury tax, which would prove to be a huge help for their upcoming offseason endevors.
President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, hasn’t been shy about pulling the trigger on some deals early on in his tenure in the front office, and that should continue at the deadline. While the dealings may not be as drastic thanks in part to Boston’s recent resurgence, there are some pieces that should be dealt at the deadline in order to help strengthen the rotation for the future.
The mantra for most of the season has been anyone but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are up for grabs, but that’s changed recently. Rob Williams isn’t going to get moved, and it’s seems unlikely Marcus Smart will either. Despite that, there are still a bunch of players who are up for grabs on this roster, and the rest of the league has taken notice. Let’s take a look at a couple of the latest rumors, starting with a bench guard who shouldn’t be with this team past Thursday.
Boston Celtics trade buzz: The Milwaukee Bucks have interest in Dennis Schroder
A Dennis Schroder trade has seemingly been a long time coming. Ever since Schroder signed a one year, $5 million deal this past offseason, it seemed likely that he would be traded at some point during the season, especially if Boston was struggling like they did last season. While they have been better lately, Schroder hasn’t really been a part of that run.
Over the last nine games, Schroder has only scored 10+ points twice, as head coach Ime Udoka has cut down his minutes during that stretch, seemingly implying a trade is on the way. While Schroder has been solid at times this season, his inconsistency has been a struggle to watch, and he’s taking up minutes that should be going to Payton Pritchard at this point. If Schroder is still on this team after Thursday, something has gone terribly wrong.
The good news is that the Celtics should have a number of suitors for Schroder. It was reported yesterday afternoon that both the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls had made offers for the veteran guard, and it appears that some discussions between the C’s and the Bucks have gotten a bit more serious. The Bucks are looking to offload Donte DiVincenzo, and both the Bucks and Celtics appear to have at least a slight interest in pulling off some sort of swap here.
DiVincenzo played a huge role in the helping get the Bucks to the playoffs last season, but he only played three games against the Miami Heat before suffering an ankle injury that kept him out the rest of the playoffs and the beginning of this season. DiVincenzo has played in 16 games this season, but he’s struggled to find the bottom of the bucket, and his minutes have waned as a result.
The DiVincenzo/Schroder swap makes sense off the bat. The problem is the Bucks want Grant Williams as part of a deal too, which makes no sense for Boston. If the C’s could tack on a draft pick or two to sweeten things up then maybe this deal would be worth it, but otherwise there’s no sense paying extra for a guy who hasn’t been himself this season. This deal could pay off, but Stevens probably has safer offers for Schroder on deck that would be more beneficial at this point.
Boston Celtics trade buzz: The Los Angeles Lakers emerge as a potential suitor for Josh Richardson
Josh Richardson has quickly emerged as a top trade target for many teams around the league thanks to his recent hot streak. While his woeful performance against the Orlando Magic (he scored 0 points and missed all eight of his shots) is a bit of a concern, Richardson still has a lot of traits teams desire, making him an interesting player to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches.
The Celtics don’t appear to be in any sort of rush to offload Richardson, but that doesn’t mean Stevens isn’t listening to potential offers for him. Some teams have been rumored to be interested in him, but nobody had really made an offer that we knew of. That was until this morning, when it was reported the Los Angeles Lakers had offered Talen Horton-Tucker and a draft pick for Richardson’s services.
The Lakers have managed to be an even bigger disappointment than the C’s this season, and they are desperately looking for ways to turn things around. Horton-Tucker has been a solid bench scorer for the Lakers this season, but his efficiency has decreased despite an increase in shots this year. He’s also a woeful three point shooter, as he’s hitting just 25 percent of his shots from deep this season.
Horton-Tucker is exactly what Boston does not need at this point, and this deal would make no sense for the C’s. Boston needs an increase in three point shooting, which is what Richardson already provides. Why would they trade away one of their better shooters for a guy who cannot shoot at all? Horton-Tucker can score yes, but his playstyle does not fit what the Celtics are looking for right now.
Whereas I would consider the DiVincenzo deal if the Bucks lowered their asking price, this is a deal that should not happen under and circumstances. Stevens has the right idea listening to whatever offers teams want to send his way, but this one should not even be considered.
The Celtics should make some moves at the deadline, but there’s no sense forcing anything, and that’s exactly what this move would be; a trade just to make a trade. If this is what teams are offering for Richardson, there’s no sense moving him.