The Boston Celtics will be one of the most fascinating teams to watch ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline, in large because of the $28.5 million traded player exception they have at their disposal as a result of sending Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets.
And it sounds like Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge might already be kicking the tires on reinforcements.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor noted Monday in his latest NBA power rankings that the Celtics are scoping out the trade market.
"Late Saturday evening, I received a flurry of texts from multiple executives around the league who said the Celtics were up to something," O'Connor wrote. "What they're up to is unclear, but league sources have long said Boston is searching for upgrades to bolster its wing and big man position."
While this doesn't mean a trade is imminent, it certainly suggests Boston could be aggressive over the next several weeks. The Celtics have enviable flexibility, with tradeable contracts, intriguing young players, all of their future first-round draft picks and, of course, the TPE.
O'Connor wonders whether Boston might go after a superstar like Bradley Beal, although perhaps landing a veteran role player like P.J. Tucker or Thaddeus Young is more realistic.
Either way, Ainge already identified "shooting with size" as an area of need as the Celtics presumably look to build around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, two young studs on an All-Star trajectory this season.
