Celtics linked to three 3&D wings ahead of trade deadline

Besides boasting the best record in the league, the 35-11 Boston Celtics are also the only team in the top three in both offensive and defensive ratings. On paper, the Celtics have every reason to follow the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra and march into the 2024 NBA Playoffs with confidence.

Even the oddsmakers are rolling with the Celtics, giving them the edge over the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

However, those who’ve closely followed the 2023-24 Celtics would admit that the team could use some bench help. Just consider that among the three bench players logging over 20 minutes, Al Horford turns 38 in March, and the other two critical rotational pieces – Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard – have very little playoff experience. 

While Hauser averages only 1.6 points per game in his limited postseason outings, Pritchard averages 4.2 points across 39 playoff games. Seeing as neither player is a proven performer, Chris Forsberg of Yahoo Sports has urged Boston to make some moves ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. 

As is the case with most title contenders, the Celtics have very little financial flexibility to pull off any significant trades. Also, as a team that’s over the first luxury tax apron, they are not eligible to acquire either Kyle Lowry or Gordon Hayward, both of whom are expected to hit the buyout market. However, the Celtics do have a $6.2 million traded player exception (TPE) they created by shipping Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal. 

In such a scenario, Forsberg has proposed three realistic trade targets for the Celtics -- Naji Marshall of the Pelicans, Saddiq Bey of the Hawks and Thaddeus Young of the Raptors.

While Marshall's ($1.9 million) and Bey’s ($4.6 million) salaries can be easily absorbed into the 6.2 million TPE, Young’s $8 million salary makes it a trickier situation for the Celtics front office – and would require GM Brad Stevens to part with either Hauser or Pritchard as part of the trade. 

All three 3-and-D wings could prove to be tremendous pick-ups for Boston. While the 6-7 Marshall – holding opponents to 43 percent shooting – is making a career-best 37.6 percent from three, Bey is averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Hawks. Meanwhile, the veteran Young has started only five games this season for the Raptors but would bring a wealth of playoff experience to a young Celtics bench.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET.