Celtics Notes: Trades, Brown, Smart, Collins

Originally posted on FortyEightMinutes | By Chris Crouse | Last updated 2/22/21

Boston’s season continues to resemble a roller coaster ride. Just as the Celtics appear to get back on track, they have losses as they suffered on Sunday against the Pelicans.

“We’ve just got to mature and grow up. We were really moving and getting guys involved,” Jaylen Brown said after the club’s 120-115 loss to New Orleans (via Tom Westerholm of Boston.com).

“I liked Rob [Williams’] play today. I think Rob played extremely well. And just trying to get other guys involved. That’s one of the things that I’ve been trying to do, to look to get other guys involved. I think that’s better for our team, but definitely gotta come out and find ways to win. We dropped the ball tonight.”

The Celtics are now 15-15 on the season, currently owning the sixth seed in the conference. This year, seeds 7-10 will compete in the play-in tournament, which makes maintaining a top-6 seed even more important.

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Marcus Smart is unlikely to return to the lineup for Boston before the All-Star break, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. Smart is still recovering from a calf strain and it’s not coming along as fast as originally anticipated.
Josh Hart could be a nice fit for the Celtics if the Pelicans make him available, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston contends. Boston is in the market for a wing and Hart’s scoring could complement the team’s second unit. Forsberg also names J.J. Redick and Lonzo Ball as other Pelicans for Danny Ainge‘s club to keep an eye on.
Swinging a trade for John Collins may be a prudent move from an immediate on-court standpoint but it presents challenges in the long-term, Brian Robb of Masslive.com contends. Boston would have difficulties handing Collins, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, a lucrative long-term deal due to their expensive trio (Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker combined to take up $89 million in cap room next season).