NBA Rumors: Celtics Have Expressed Trade Interest In Suns’ P.J. Tucker

The Boston Celtics figure to be active in the trade market this week with the NBA’s trade deadline coming up Thursday, Feb. 23.

If the Celtics can’t land a superstar player, a move for a role player could provide head coach Brad Stevens with even more depth for a long playoff run in the spring.

One player the Celtics might look to acquire is Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.

“Boston has expressed deep interest in Tucker ahead of the deadline, a source said,” Deveney wrote Sunday. “Get Tucker, and the Celtics can add depth without giving up on a potential No. 1 pick.”

The C’s have one of the deepest benches in the league. In fact, they played 11 guys in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. Still, injuries to Avery Bradley and Jaylen Brown are a bit of a concern, and Tucker’s ability to defend the perimeter, rebound and provide scoring off the bench could prove to be valuable.

The 31-year-old veteran is averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season. Tucker is a free agent after this season, so acquiring him wouldn’t impact Boston’s summer plans for free agency.