What are the Boston Celtics top three trade assets heading into the 2023-24 season? “Wait,” you say. “Did not we just make to massive trades to set this team on a path to (hopefully) hang Banner 18?” To that quite reasonable question, we would say, “Indeed!” Still, things change quickly in the NBA of today, and one should always have a backup plan to get oneself out of a jam.
To that end, the staff of Bleacher Report got together and highlighted the top three trade assets of every team in the league, with the Celtics’ best trade catnip being Derrick White‘s contract, and their 2025 and 2027 first round draft picks.
Noting White is really the only likely player Boston might consider trading because of CBA restrictions and what the team needs to contend, B/R’s Dan Favale notes that while Al Horford and Payton Pritchard might have appeal, neither “earns enough to serve as a salary anchor” in a prospective trade.
Celtics Lab 222: Boston vs. everyone – assessing NBA over/unders for 2023-24 with Souichi Terada https://t.co/N60pMrp7mh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 19, 2023
“Granted, the Celtics should only be looking to move White in yet another mega trade,” he adds. “Hence the inclusion of 2025 and 2027 first-rounders. In all likelihood, the Celtics will wind up futzing and fiddling on the margins, if they do anything at all.”
“Breaking up their league-best top six would be a massive risk after taking a series of others this past offseason,” suggests the B/R analyst. “At the same time, it’s a little wild that they acquired Holiday and Porziņģis while moving Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III and still have the asset ammo to make a biggish-or-larger move.”
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
