Defensive Specialist Identified as Celtics' Dream Trade Target

Even though the Boston Celtics are going through a slump right now, winning only nine of their last 17 games, they continue to be the overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are +220 to win their second straight championship.

With the top of the Eastern Conference stronger than last year, however, the Celtics shouldn't take anything for granted. With the February 6 trade deadline looming, GM Brad Stevens should leave no stone unturned to upgrade the roster.

The Celtics don't have too many resources for a trade. They don't want to give up any of their key contributors and because of their second-apron status, they can't aggregate salaries or take back more money in a deal. This severely limits their ability to get a true impact player but the Celtics will still have a few options.

Celtics Rumors: Keon Ellis a Realistic Trade Target

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report identified realistic and dream trade deadline targets for each team. For the Celtics, he had Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis as a dream scenario for Boston.

This makes plenty of sense for the Celtics. Ellis only makes $2.1 million this season and has a team option for $2.3 million. This makes him a very attractive target for a team like Boston who is trying to get less expensive while improving their roster.

Ellis is a defense-first combo guard who can defend multiple positions. The 25-year-old is a very good point-of-attack defender and has great size at 6-foot-6 for his position. He makes a ton of plays defensively, averaging 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game.

Plus, he hits over 40% of his threes. His two-way contributions is exactly what the Celtics could use as a depth piece.

A trade for Ellis would require Jaden Springer plus a first-round pick. The Kings may be hesitant to move an impact player like Ellis since they are also in win-now mode, but if Boston bowls them over with draft capital, this trade could be a win-win scenario.

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