After having agreed to trades that send out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have moved below the second tax apron. However, they may not be done dealing yet. Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday night (YouTube link), Shams Charania reported that Boston is fielding calls from teams with interest in Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White.
According to Charania, the Celtics’ preference is still to hang onto Brown and White, and they’ve set “high price thresholds” for both players. But they’re also not entirely shutting down inquiries on those guys, so it remains possible that there will be a team willing to meet Boston’s high asking price.
“At minimum,” Charania says, the Celtics are still a strong candidate to make additional deals involving role players who are a little less valuable than Brown and White. Charania specifically identifies Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons as players who might fit that bill.
Simons technically isn’t even a Celtic yet, so the agreed-upon deal involving him and Jrue Holiday could be expanded to include more pieces and send Simons to a third team before it’s officially finalized. Even if that trade is completed as currently constructed, Simons could be flipped to another team immediately — his salary simply couldn’t be aggregated with another player’s salary for two months after he’s traded.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link), he has heard from two sources who refuted the report claiming that Holiday is unhappy about being traded to the Trail Blazers. We passed along that rumor on Tuesday, but suggested taking it with a grain of salt.
- As the Hawks continue to mull various scenarios for how they could use the $25MM+ traded player exception they generated in last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal, one possible target to watch is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). The Hawks are expected to show interest in Alexander-Walker, who will be a free agent this summer, and could potentially use that TPE to acquire him via sign-and-trade. The Timberwolves have expressed a desire to retain the three-and-D guard, but will also have Julius Randle‘s and Naz Reid‘s contract situations to resolve.
- Although John Collins is considered a potential offseason trade candidate, his market is still taking shape, so a deal seems more likely to happen after the draft than before or during it, per Stein and Fischer. Collins also must exercise his $26.6MM player option before he officially becomes trade-eligible. His decision is due on Thursday.
- Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Raptors forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, Jazz guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, Wizards guard Marcus Smart, and Bucks wing Pat Connaughton are among the other players viewed as candidates to be on the move this summer, according to Stein and Fischer.
More like a brick of salt
Very much doubt Boston is taking calls for those 2 unless its a over pay and Boston gets some young up coming players in the trade.
I think Marcus Smart, if healthy, makes more sense for the Hawks than NAW. He’s only got a year left on his current deal and is probably motivated to stay healthy for that reason. Could run the second unit, is a dog on D, and would bring a little edge to the team we definitely don’t have.
Motivation has nothing to do with staying healthy.
Smart hasn’t been healthy for awhile. he only played in 34 games last season avging 20 min/gm, and only 20 games for the Grizzlies the previous year.
NAW is at a different level, having played 82 games in each of the last 2 seasons.
Marcus Smart cannot shoot so not a good fit for Mazzula’s jack em up all night offense.
It’s hard to swallow Brown and White food
This isn’t black and white
Wtf lmao
???
Hey now, lets hold up and not choose to eat Jaylen Brown until at least 2027.
The only team that makes sense for the Celtics to trade with featuring either Brown or White is San Antonio. They have the #2 pick, a few young guys the Celtics might want and the contracts to match.
I love Jaylen Brown. Tatum, Brown and White are 3 great players and great people who are easy to cheer for and make you proud they are on the Celtics….BUT
if San Antonio wants to give the Celtics #2 Pick in Harper, Castle and other stuff, I would listen.
Brown works really well in San Antonio with Wemby.
How about Houston for Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard and 2 firsts?
Udoka loves Brown. Sengun, KD, FVV, Thompson and and Brown make a super team.
Yeah Houston is a good call too.
However, I like Harper and Castle and think if the Spurs came offering those guys and other cash and prizes, the Celtics should jump on it.
Its tough trading Brown, the guy is awesome. He looks like he should be in the Matrix with Neo.
Damn, now I want to see Morpheus v. Jaylen Brown Kung Fu match up.
I’ve read somewhere that Castle is off the table. That it’d be more of Vassel, Johnson and #2. I don’t know if I’d do that if I was Boston
Nope not gonna happen without Castle. Vassel deal is not great.
Personally I think Celtics should trade everyone and build up equity and quickly start over. Would be way easier to build a new roster now when everyone has trade value instead of waiting until 4 years of 6th seed mediocrity have passed them by.
I just don’t see how they can be a championship contender with $700M tied up in two players that aren’t Lebron James.
Maybe.
I always thought that Brown would be the one to be moved eventually. Now with Tatum’s injury and the ?s surrounding his return I could see the Celts moving on a bit earlier than the plan.
Brad is GM GOD mode. I have never had more faith in any GM like I have with Brad. The dude just knows players. I believe Brad is going to keep Simons and I will be Simons does well in Boston.
Brad is playing 3D Spock Chess. He is different than Trader Danny, who I loved as well, but nobody knows what Brad is going to do and I love that.
> I just don’t see how they can be a championship
> contender with $700M tied up in two players that
> aren’t Lebron James.
@reflect it’s a lot of money, esp when you look at how OKC is doing so much with so little, but name another pair of superstars on a contending team that are making less money LeBron and Luka, Giannis and Lilard, Curry and Butler, Siakam and Haliburton, etc
To contend, you have to max your superstars
The difference is that the Pacers built a complete team first, and then committed the money on their stars. They have a top 5 bench in the NBA. Pacers also have a ton of draft equity.
The other teams you named don’t have either of those things, and that is why I don’t think any of those other teams can be serious contenders either. Especially the Bucks and Lakers, who are both disasters outside of their Big 2 and have zero draft picks.
Warriors depth is not going to win any awards but they do at least have some guys… Kuminga, Looney, Hield, and Brad are enough of an X factor that I give them an outside chance.
As in the past I hope star Jaylen Brown keeps working on his game over this off season, his handle especially. Without Jason Tatum, Jaylen will be the de facto leader of the Celtics. And since Brown is quite a leader off the court I hope he will assume the responsibility and pull together all the new talent the Celtics will have.
I think that is a given if Brown stays.
He is the leader on the team and the young bucks look up to him.
So far, BOS has followed the script, with deals in the salary slots below White and above PP. If that continues, the subsequent trades would involve Simons, Hauser and Niang. They have an entire off season and the pre-deadline part of the season to shave another combined 15-20 mm, or more if they elect to re-sign Kornet and/or Horford for more than minimum. Still some lifting to do, but the heaviest has been done. If they have to move any FRP for payroll purposes I would expect it to be the one they make tonight.
They could always pivot to a Brown or White deal, but it wouldn’t be principally for payroll purposes this season or next.