Celtics trade deadline dilemma: Sellers or buyers? Evaluating Boston’s strategic options amid lackluster play

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/03/celtics-trade-deadline-dilemma-sellers-or-buyers-evaluating-bostons-strategic-options-amid-lackluster-play.html



Celtics trade deadline dilemma: Sellers or buyers? Evaluating Boston’s strategic options amid lackluster play



Updated 8:07 AM; Today 6:00 AM



Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens directs his team in a huddle during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in New York. The Nets won 121-109. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



The Celtics are nearly 60 percent into the regular season and consistency has been hard to come by for this current group. After an ugly 117-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Boston dropped to 20-20 on the year, dropping to 1-8 in their last nine road games. The momentum of a four-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Break has quickly vanished with the team losing three of their first four games in the second half of the season.

Losses against the Nets and Jazz were nothing for the Celtics to hang their heads low about this week but the Wednesday’s loss was something different. A no-show for much of the first half dug the Celtics a 21-point hole that they were never able to climb out of. Like so many games on the road this season for Boston, the opponent looked like the hungrier team.

“I think that’s basketball, but you have to be able to respond to those moments, you have to be able to respond to those runs and we did, we just did it too late,” Brad Stevens said of the sluggish start. “I thought, again, I thought we were affected because we got, I felt like, really good looks early and the ball wasn’t going in. And you could kind of see our shoulders slump and all affected as a group.”

Whether it’s road woes (8-14) or struggles against elite teams (0-8 against NBA’s five best squads), the Celtics look to be in the exact spot you don’t want to be in the NBA at the moment: The middle. That location creates an interesting choice for the front office as the trade deadline approaches on March 25: What direction should the team go in during a disappointing year thus far?

A case can be made for either path. The Celtics have the resources to add with Gordon Hayward’s $28.5 million traded player exception and the team’s inability to replace him with a reliable wing has been just as damaging to the team’s record as the constant stream of injuries to core players all year. Danny Ainge doesn’t necessarily have to use the massive trade exception to add help but there are plenty of areas that could be upgraded across the roster with picks or young players. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at an All-Star level, giving them some help would give this group a puncher’s chance in the postseason given their postseason track record of raising their games.

With that said, every passing game makes it a little bit harder to justify making meaningful additions to this roster. Tatum and Brown desperately need some help but is there anything available on the trade market that will be a big difference maker? The front office has a week to figure that out as other top contenders in the East begin to fortify their own rosters. The Bucks were the latest to do so on Wednesday, trading for veteran wing PJ Tucker to provide some additional defense and 3-point shooting. With the Nets and Sixers also separating themselves from the pack in the Eastern Conference standings, the Celtics would need to make some upgrades on top of some playing far more cohesively as a team in order to make some noise against any of those squads in a seven-game series.

So what if the Celtics can’t find a deal that pushes the needle at all? There’s a case to be made that standing pat doesn’t make much sense either since this group hasn’t shown enough on the floor together to rationalize keeping it together to the finish line. Danny Ainge’s inaction at other trade deadlines has been justified by not messing with team chemistry and cohesion on teams that were having plenty of success during said seasons. This year’s group is far from that. There are veterans blocking the way for developing young players at multiple positions and there are other guys simply playing out of position due to holes in the depth chart.

With an impending payroll crunch likely to limit what bigs/free agents the Celtics will be able to retain after this season, getting a return for some of those assets could make sense ahead of the deadline if additions can’t be made to build a stronger roster. A lack of sellers across the league could allow the Celtics to secure some assets if they make some secondary pieces. Whether it’s allowing one of Daniel Theis or Tristan Thompson to go to the highest bidder or seeing if you can get anything (i.e. second round picks) for veterans like Semi Ojeleye or Jeff Teague, clearing the path for more playing time for the youth on this roster is a better bet than rolling out some flawed veterans night after night. The front office should take those options away from Brad Stevens on a nightly basis if they aren’t convinced this group can turn things around over the final two months of the season. Getting more reps for young guys would be the far better bet in that scenario.

There’s no guarantee the Celtics would get anything of value going down this path given the lack of appealing talent on Boston’s outside of its core pieces but it remains a far more intriguing option than standing pat with this group. With no signs of consistency emerging 40 games into the year, outings, like we saw on Wednesday against Cleveland, are becoming the rule more than the exception, particularly in games away from TD Garden for this group.

“I just want to play good basketball,” Stevens said after the loss. “You guys have been around me long enough that you know what that means, what it looks like, what it feels like, and we saw again some of it. But we don’t do it enough of the time, obviously.”

Whether it’s building more for the present or the future, the Celtics should double down on a new path because the current one doesn’t seem to be going anywhere promising.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I've been preaching patience.  I've said numerous times to relax, you will be given ample opportunity to panic later.  Sam always used to say, when asked about the state of the Celtics "See Me In April".  Well it's the latter half of March, almost April, in a season shortened by 10 games.  In this abbreviated year this is the equivalent of April and, I must say, it's time to start panicking.  These guys may really like each other, the camaraderie in the locker room may be perfect but the on court balance of talent isn't there.  Danny is seeing it, every interview over the past month has documented that.  I'm sure he's trying to act like ice cream wouldn't melt in his mouth so that the sharks don't start circling him (I'm not talking about Wyc and Pags, I'm talking about opposing GMs making low-ball offers to him for players because they think he might be desperate) but he knows...clearly he knows.  The trade deadline is one week from today.  If he buys it depends upon who he buys.  If he sells he's probably accumulating assets for the off-season, draft picks expiring contracts and the like.  If he stands pat then we're looking like an early exit unless these guys unfuck their heads and start playing like we've already all seen them play.


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I was on board with idea of using some or all the TPE to get a piece to move us into serious play in the East.

But now, I think this team is simply too far away and has too little talent to really compete this year.

so play the kids

Rob
Nesmith
Pritchard

even Langford if he can ever really play.

Tacko and Waters maybe even.


I've seen enough of Semi, Grant, Teague, Green and Edwards. they bring nothing for the future here.


we're a .500 team average, destined for a first round playoff loss. Might as well see if we have any young players who are worth keeping.

then in the off-season Ainge (or whoever) can decide what to do with a tax paying roster.

This team lacks quality depth.  Everybody knows that.  Would one big deal put us in the mix for a deep playoff run?  How about a major and a minor move?

The financial clutter that litters this team was created  by the GM.

The Celtics have already decided not to add a guy who cost $20 + million moving forward.  

Kemba Walker's salary hog ties this team from making a big move.  Of course you could trade MS or one of the j's but that does not look like a good solution.

I think you have to correct your mistakes.

No one should be at all surprised if Danny does not make any major roster moves.

He should use the current trade window to begin the process of pairing down the roster.  He should keep maybe 3 development players and get rid of the rest.  He should should stock the roster with short term (1 maybe 2) veteran minimum deals.  

He needs to find a buyer for Kemba Walker during the off season.  If he can knock off a year of salary that would be great.  in other words take back a bad contract if you have to but do it if it expires a year earlier than Kemba's.  Using the TPE in the off season makes sense if you can also do a Kemba deal.

From a coaching standpoint Brad needs to make immediate changes to his starting lineup beginning at center.  Assuming we do not add a bench scorer we need to put one of our starters on the bench.  That guy should be Kemba Walker.  He will still play a lot of minutes but he can be the #1 scoring option off the bench instead of trying to be a floor general with marginal play making skills that can distribute shot opportunities.

I would put Marcus Smart at the point with the expressed understanding that we are not looking for him to be a high volume shooter.  We just need keep the defense honest shots from marcus.

Next I would go to AN and tell him he is going to play every game and get at least 12 minute per contest and that if he continues to improve his minutes will be increased.

I would sit down with Teague and thanks him for his service but I would let him know that he will not be playing a lot of minutes and may be on the bench a lot.

I would talk to PP who is being squeezed since Kemba's return and just ask him to be patient.  I would try to get him  minutes every game.

Basically I would elevate RW and give playing time to our two rookies this year.  

Get them ready for the playoffs now.  Right now, take your lumps and move this team forward into next season on a better footing.

kdp59 wrote:I was on board with idea of using some or all the TPE to get a piece to move us into serious play in the East.

But now, I think this team is simply too far away and has too little talent to really compete this year.

so play the kids

Rob
Nesmith
Pritchard

even Langford if he can ever really play.

Tacko and Waters maybe even.


I've seen enough of Semi, Grant, Teague, Green and Edwards. they bring nothing for the future here.


we're a .500 team average, destined for a first round playoff loss. Might as well see if we have any young players who  are worth keeping.

then in the off-season Ainge (or whoever) can decide what to do with a tax paying roster.

kdp59 just read this after posting mine and I think we are on the same page on a lot of ideas.