Celtics ‘have been aggressive’ before the trade deadline, linked to many players

As the February 8 trade deadline looms over the NBA, the league-leading Boston Celtics do not plan to sit idly by and let their contender counterparts have all the fun.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Celtics “have been active” ahead of the deadline. Boston is “looking to package some of their minimum contract players at the end of the rotation and draft pick compensation to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs.”

Scotto listed Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, and Andre Drummond as players the Celtics have expressed interest in.

Neither Olynyk nor Wright fits into the Celtics’ Grant Williams TPE, while Drummond’s contract does.

A trade for Olynyk’s $12.19 million salary would have to include Payton Pritchard and four of Boston’s minimum-contract guys to make the money work. Wright makes just $8.19, so Boston could technically get to that number with just Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, and Dalano Banton.

Meanwhile, Drummond could be acquired with just picks and taken into the TPE, as he makes just $3.36 million.

Boston’s reported willingness to package their end-of-the-bench players for potential upgrades could signal a desire to add someone making more than their TPE is worth. However, whether or not that inclination extends to Pritchard is unclear but likely doubtful, considering they just handed him a new contract that makes him poison-pilled in trades.

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Celtics Interested In “Wide Range Of Trade Targets”

With the NBA Trade Deadline just a few days away, the Boston Celtics are a team popping up in a few rumors. Per HoopsHype, the Celtics have their eyes on “a wide range of trade targets“:

The Celtics are looking to package some of their minimum contract players at the end of the rotation and draft pick compensation to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs, league sources told HoopsHype. Boston has expressed interest in a wide range of trade targets, including Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, Andre Drummond, and others, league sources told HoopsHype.

The 38-12 Celtics currently own the best record in the NBA. Additionally, Boston has a five-game lead over the No. 2 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference. Adding any of the three aforementioned veterans could provide a boost for the Celtics.

Earlier this year, Celtics GM Brad Stevens said he wanted to acquire “a big wing.” However, Stevens also acknowledged this could be found in-house and the team’s resources are very limited in the trade market:

Recently, the Celtics were reportedly interested in the Houston Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate, although nothing has been reported since.

Olynyk spent the first few seasons of his NBA career with the Celtics. From 2013 to 2017, Olynyk averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7% from the field in Boston. This season with the Utah Jazz, Olynyk is averaging 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds on 56 FG%.

Currently, it seems likely the Jazz will move on from the Canadian big man this week. The Celtics could benefit from someone like Olynyk who can take some pressure off Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in the frontcourt. Olynyk, like Wright and Drummond, is in the last year of his contract. This season, he is making $12.2 million. Depending on how much they have to give up, a reunion with Olynyk might make sense for the Celtics.