The Boston Celtics are always trade targets this time of year because they are loaded with young assets and draft picks that make them primed for moves. The Celtics have been linked to more trade deals than anyone can keep up with as they remain a unit in rebuilding. That is certainly not changing this season as many believe Boston will be active at the deadline as they could dump off one of their many frontcourt players and David Lee is the latest name to pop up as available.
According to David Aldridge of NBA.com, the Celtics could try and move David Lee during the trading period as the center is on an expiring contract with plenty of value in the league. Boston acquired Lee in the offseason in hopes that he could be their elite big man. However, they have had a hard time finding minutes for him on him on the court as he is averaging just 15.8 minutes with 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. With his value, the Celtics are exploring trade interest.
The issue with trying to trade Lee is his $15 million salary owed this year. While plenty of teams would like a big man like Lee, they do not want his contract. According to Aldridge, the Celtics could try and facilitate a trade of Lee for a high-priced player considering the contracts would likely match. They would only have to add in draft picks to sweeten the package. However, if they cannot do that, holding on to Lee and releasing certain players might be the best option. With Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger staying put, Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson are expendable.
The Celtics have been linked to deals during the trade period, mainly with DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings. The Celtics have shown interest in Cousins before so it would make sense if they were doing so again. However, according to the Boston Herald, team president Danny Ainge has not had conversations about a deal for Cousins, nor does he plan on it.
For now head coach Brad Stevens is simply trying to work in all of his players and get people minutes. Consistency has been an issue which is why trading one or two players is the ideal move. The Celtics remain contenders in the Eastern Conference as they are clearly an improved team. Adding one more star to the roster could really push the team to the top. For now Stevens says he is going to look at lineup adjustments and see if that can provide a needed spark.
"You know, it's one of the things that we've talked about," Stevens said, via ESPN.com. "If we're going to talk about our depth being a positive, then we should utilize it. So we'll see. We'll see what we think is best, not only for this particular game, but more so as we move forward."