Bill Simmons Breaks Down Celtics’ Looming Trade Deadline Dilemma

It’s still early in the NBA season, but fans and media are already starting to look ahead to the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 5.

One team that could go either way is the Boston Celtics. While they occupy the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, that could change considerably before Feb. 5 depending on how they play over the next six weeks.

If the Celtics get hot or keep playing well, they could look to buy in anticipation of a playoff run. If they get cold or suffer some injuries, however, they could easily fall out of contention in the crowded East and try to sell off some pieces instead in an effort to get under the luxury tax.

It’s unclear what will happen with Boston or when Jayson Tatum will come back from his Achilles injury, leaving Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe mystified.

“They’re missing that one guy… I don’t know what they do,” Simmons said on Wednesday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “They could try to get under that last tax and really reset the rest of the decade, or they could look around the rest of the East and say f*** it.”

“I don’t think they’re gonna do anything super aggressive regardless of where they are,” Lowe said. “It’s more like, will they sell to cut their tax bill?”

Meanwhile, Celtics GM Brad Stevens sounded open to adding at the deadline during an interview on Wednesday.

“We will not put a ceiling on this group. If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will, but it all has to be within good deals,” Stevens told reporters.

It’s encouraging that Stevens is signaling a willingness to be aggressive, but Boston’s record over the next six weeks will ultimately dictate what he decides to do.