The Boston Celtics have been red-hot of late and with the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, there could be moves to improve the team even further.
One underrated player that hasn’t been spoken about a lot but could make a major difference with the Celtics would be Denver Nuggets wing Will Barton.
Nikola Jokic deservedly garners most of the coverage revolving around the Nuggets, but Barton quietly has averaged 15.3 points per game this season while shooting 37% from beyond-the-arc. He’s also chipped in 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
On top of his play on the court, Barton also is playing on a very tradable and team-friendly deal. He’s making just over $15 million this season and is signed for the 2022-23 campaign at just over $14 million.
According to the ESPN Trade Machine, the Celtics could send Josh Richardson and Aaron Nesmith to Denver and the deal would work on paper. The Celtics may have to fork over a draft pick or two, but Barton immediately steps in and would make the team better.
If Boston wanted to hold on to Richardson, they could swap Dennis Schröder into the deal and make the contracts work with one of their many trade exceptions at their disposal.
A deal like this wouldn’t immediately catapult the Celtics into title contention, but when paired with another deal or two around the deadline this would send Boston in the right direction.
