Don’t look now, but here come the Boston Celtics. They are putting some early-season struggles behind them and quietly moving up the NBA standings in the Eastern Conference.
Since an embarrassing 25-point blown lead to the New York Knicks, that ended with an RJ Barrett 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Celtics have locked back in and started to play some very good basketball.
Since that game on January 6th, which dropped Boston to three games below the .500 mark, they have gone 7-3.
They have pushed their record back above the .500 mark and look poised to make a run in the second half of the season. Only four games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for sixth place, the final spot outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Celtics have a chance to keep moving up.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Celtics Want To Avoid Luxury Tax; Trade Options To Do So
Knowing it is possible, expect the Celtics to be buyers at the deadline. They will do their best to get under the luxury tax line still, but will also be looking to upgrade the roster.
There were some whispers that the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could be broken up, but that isn’t something that will happen before the deadline. Those two, along with Robert Williams III, are the core that management wants to build the roster up around.
One player that could be on the move is Marcus Smart. Smart was involved in numerous rumors last season but was held onto through the deadline and signed to an extension this offseason.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Celtics Want To Avoid Luxury Tax; Trade Options To Do So
He is once again having his name circulate in rumors. However, the price to acquire him is not a cheap one. Bleacher Report shared the most recent update about the Boston guard.
It’s a few weeks before the deadline, so it seems only fitting that Marcus Smart’s name has once again percolated in trade talk. But it will take significant value in return, sources said, for Boston to ever part with Smart. There’s still a sense around the league that a healthy Celtics unit could fare far better down the stretch of this regular season than Boston’s early growing pains under head coach Ime Udoka have so far produced.
What Brad Stevens and the front office consider significant value is anyone’s guess. Could the Celtics engage the Atlanta Hawks in trade negotiations centered around John Collins? Atlanta seems like a natural fit for Smart, as they inquired about him last season as well.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Celtics Want To Avoid Luxury Tax; Trade Options To Do So
Not short on assets, the Golden State Warriors could also jump into the fray. Adding another high-level defender could help them separate from the other contenders in the league as they are already an excellent defensive club that will get better every day that Klay Thompson knocks off more rust.
