The rocky section of mid-season of the Boston Celtics continued on Monday with a defeat of the last second against the Houston Rockets, which obtained 10 3 points from Dillon Brooks and a winner of the Amen Thompson match. With this last defeat, the Celtics have been 10-9 since their departure dominating 22-6, and their advance on the New York Knicks for the head of the East Conference was reduced to a match.
Although Celtics are always categorical that everything will be fine, it is now more than a blip. They have been playing 0,500 ball for over a month and have often been synchronized on both sides of the ball. There is a good chance that they reset after the stars break and are alike again in the section, or simply return the Switch Come Time.
There will be a lot of time to talk about the chances of the Celtics title, but for the moment, it is preferable to discuss this bad form of form of form with regard to the next deadline for trade on February 6. Could this spell change the plans of the Celtics? And what kind of movements could even be possible? Let’s take a closer look.
What can Celtics do?
As one of the four teams above the second deck of the luxury tax – the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves are the others – there are restrictions on what Celtics can do on the commercial:
- Celtics cannot aggregate wages to make a job.
- Celtics can only resume 100% or less from the salary they send to a trade.
- Celtics cannot send money to a trade.
Due to these constraints, the Celtics are quite limited, especially since it is very unlikely that they exchange anyone in their rotation. The rest of the team wins $ 4 million or less this year, and find a business one for one in this range of wages which will actually improve its title of title will be difficult.
How will their tax situation affect their approach?
The luxury situation of Celtics makes their list extremely expensive, and each dollar counts, Especially in the light of the upcoming saleWhich should occur at some point in the coming months. Their status as a team of the second apron fixes not only the limits of the type of trades they can make, but could affect their entire approach.
Will Celtics consider the deadline as a chance to improve the list at all costs? Or as an opportunity to lose a little wage in eye on potential tax savings. Each dollar on luxury tax costs the team about four dollars in tax payments, which means someone like Jaden Springer, whose salary is just over $ 4 million, actually costs around 16 Millions of dollars.
While Springer has had more opportunity lately, he has rarely played outside the garbage time this season and will not rotate the playoffs. Given his salary, his age and his defensive potential, he is the team’s best commercial chip at the end of the bench and could be their only path to acquire legitimate aid.
But will Brad Stevens try to exchange it for another player, preferably with more experience? Or just try to empty your contract and save the team nearly $ 20 million in tax payments? Their exact reflection on this front remains clear and could depend on the offers available.
What do Celtics need?
The biggest needs for Celtics are good health and for their main guys to come back in shape. If they were still playing as if they were last season and at the start of this campaign, there would not even be a discussion on the deadline. And if they are able to get back on the right track, their list is good enough, just like winning everything.
That being said, their list is not perfect. Here is an overview of a few areas of need.
Wing depth
The Celtic wings options behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are limited. Sam Hauser, a 3 -point specialist, was not as effective as last season, partly due to a back injury, while the recent choices of the Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman draft are not ready to be Regular contributors and Drew Peterson is a double -way player.
If the Celtics can find a veteran wing that can give them reliable minutes in the second half of the season, it would help things to strengthen things. Of course, each team of the League is looking for the depth of the wings, so it will not be easy.
Bench score
There were a lot of questions about the depth of the Celtics last season, but they were finally enough to win the title. They essentially have the same list in place this season, but even if Payton Pritchard has made a jump to settle for the sixth favorite of the man of the year, many of these same concerns remain.
The Celtics bench ranks 26th in the league by scoring 29.7 points per game. There are nights, especially those where Pritchard does not have it, where the bench gives them essentially nothing. The addition of another bench player who can create his own shot could be precious.
Depth of the area before emergency
Now that Kristaps Porzingis is back, the front area of the Celtics is in the right place. Al Horford remains a reliable presence at both ends, while the trio of Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman are all large usable that Joe Mazzulla can mix and match.
But given the history of porzingis injuries and the age of Horford (he will be 39 years old in June, potentially during the final), there is a world where the Celtics enter the playoffs with Kornet, Queta And Tillman as their only great great men. Given this possibility, would they plan to add someone else in an emergency?
Who could target the Celtics?
The depth of the wings is the main need for Celtics, with a bench marker and a large emergency backup behind. Here is an overview of a few potential names that they might target if they want to exchange Springer for another player, rather than throwing his salary.
Javonte Green – G / F, Pélicans
Green began his career with the Celtics and is currently with the Pélicans in New Orleans, the season of which was destroyed by injuries. With Green to be a free agent this summer, the Pélicans could certainly be opened to move him, especially if the Celtics join a capital project – let’s say a second round – in Springer. Green turned into a 3 -point solid shooter, although low volume, and adds athletics and energy to the Celtics bench.
Torrey Craig – F, Bulls
Craig has limited himself to only nine games this season and is currently sidelined with a sprain and a contusion of straight legs. However, end -of -season injuries are not either, and the Bulls are open for business. Although Craig may not be the most exciting option available, he is an experienced attacker and another who has improved his external shot in recent seasons. At the very least, it would be more reliable than Walsh and Scheierman for the moment.
Seth Curry – G, Hornets
Curry is once again pulling the Enlightenment, making 46.2% of his 3 -point attempts for the Hornet Logly, who are on the right track to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. He would certainly give the attack on the 3 points of the Celtics, which has trouble this season, a boost, but the team may not look for another little guard. In addition, Curry has an implicit clause without exchange because he signed with the Hornets on an agreement of one year, he should therefore approve any agreement.
