While the Celtics have undeniably built a roster with championship potential, discussions about reinforcing the team are inevitable, especially with just over a month remaining until the NBA's trade deadline.
“Every year around this time you're looking at, ‘OK, how do we improve to give ourselves our best chance?’ And I think there are different ways to do it,” Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said Thursday at the Auerbach Center.
“Obviously, you can improve from within, and we get better at what we do on both ends of the court and hopefully make strides individually in how we fit together, and then you can improve from free agency, or trades, or whatever.”
Despite the team already being well above the luxury tax and one of just five teams over the NBA’s second apron, Stevens noted that he has the "green light" from ownership to continue to add to the team's payroll. This includes utilizing the $6.2 million traded player exception acquired during the offseason in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade
“Green light to do whatever we need to do, for sure,” Stevens said. “And that TPE, that’s really the number one tool we have, right? Is the ability to add somebody, but that’s $6.1 or $6.2 million. So it’s a small number of people. A lot of the people that are in that were signed to minimums or smaller contracts, or are on their rookie scale deals that teams aren’t exactly excited to move on from yet. So it’s a very small group of people, but we’re going to exhaust it. We’re going to look at it.”
The TPE will be Boston’s biggest asset at the deadline. Sure, the Celtics have plenty of draft capital, possessing their own first-round picks through 2027 and a total of 12 picks over the next five drafts. However, it would be difficult to make most deals work from a financial standpoint without taking away one of their rotational players.
“There’s really not a ton we can do big without touching our main guys, right?” Stevens said. “So, what you look at is guys that can play, guys that can add value, but like I said last year, don’t need to play. They are over themselves, and I think that that’s important. That’s what we have right now.”
While Stevens and the Celtics aren’t likely to make a “major” move at the deadline, the 47-year-old did acknowledge one position to be a potential priority.
“I would like to continue to see how we can find another big wing or so that can help us, and I think that could be from within,” Stevens said. “I also think that we’ll continue to monitor free agency and trades. But again, the difference in this year and maybe other years is our tools are pretty limited from a dollars standpoint.
“I do think that the key for us is going to be the improvement from within. I think we’ve done a really good job of that thus far,” Stevens added.
While still looking at outside possibilities, Stevens explained that the team’s big splash came on the eve of training camp – when the Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trailblazers, and noted multiple times the team could look to improve from within.
“The major trade deadline move for us was Jrue the day before the season started, so we just have to be on the lookout for how we can fortify it and how we can make it better,” Stevens said. “And I don’t wanna say that person’s not in the building, because they might be right now. I’ve been very encouraged when our bench has gotten in games that don’t play, how they’ve helped us.”
On Boston's roster, the collection of wings outside of the full-time rotation includes Oshae Brissett, Lamar Stevens, and Svi Mykhailiuk. Each of them, for the most part, has made valuable contributions whenever called upon throughout the season.
Dalano Banton, who is a natural point guard, could also be included in the mix given his 6-foot-9 frame and 6-foot-10 wingspan – the 24-year-old also provides some defensive versatility.
Additionally, the Celtics have two rookies currently on two-way contracts in Jordan Walsh and Drew Peterson.
As the Celtics embark on a difficult stretch of games in January – including five games in seven days beginning Friday against the Jazz – the guys already in-house will have a chance to demonstrate their worth and show why Stevens may be able to put down the phone.
Two guys in particular to keep an eye on are Brissett and Stevens, as both could see some extended run this month. Both offer remarkable defensive versatility through their athleticism and size and their active presence on the glass, coupled with a high-energy playing style, makes them notable contributors to watch.
Promoting someone already on the roster also helps Boston maintain its chemistry, which is crucial when discussing a team that has prioritized the idea of sacrifice.
“When you add players to your team, they can add to your team, or take away from your team. You’ve just got to be careful,” Stevens said. “That’s something to think about when you have as many guys that are complementing each other as well as ours.”
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