What options do Celtics have before the 2025 NBA trade deadline?

What options do Celtics have before the 2025 NBA trade deadline? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics got off to a very good start in their NBA title defense with a record of 21:6 in 27 games.

Jayson Tatum is a real MVP candidate. Jaylen Brown is playing fantastic after winning Finals MVP in June. Payton Pritchard is arguably the leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year as the 26-year-old point guard is having the best season of his career. Boston, as a team, is on pace to break multiple league single-season 3-point shooting records.

There are a lot of positives about the Celtics’ current style of play, but there is always room for improvement both on the field and in building the roster.

The trade deadline is set for February 6, giving teams more than a month to make deals before the playoffs. However, the Celtics are in the second frontcourt, which is part of the CBA that imposes restrictions on high-spending teams.

Our Celtics insider Chris Forsberg recently broke down what the second apron means for the C’s as the trade deadline approaches:

The Celtics cannot combine contracts in a trade, meaning they cannot combine contracts to acquire a more valuable player. For example, if the Celtics were to move Jaden Springer’s $4 million contract, they can’t combine it with Queta’s $2 million deal to chase a $6 million player.
The Celtics cannot sign a buyout player this season who has previously made more than the mid-level exception.

On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston Celtics Talk PodcastForsberg was joined by Bobby Marks, ESPN’s NBA front office insider.

🔊 Celtics Talk: Explore the Celtics’ roster options with ESPN’s Bobby Marks | Listen and subscribe | Watch on YouTube

What should the Celtics look for when making moves on the trade market, waiver wire or buyout market? Marks thinks wing depth and/or another frontcourt player would make sense.

“Listen, everyone wants wing depth, that’s always the most important thing,” Marks said. “Hey, can we get a big wing from our bench? I think all playoff teams are looking for that, and can you get a little more frontcourt depth, so to speak, between a small forward and a power forward, something like that. That would be a priority.

“I think the interesting thing about the frontcourt rules, and not many people know this, is that you can trade with a minimum number of players and still exceed the frontcourt rules. That’s kind of a loophole through which you can search the market and yourself. “I can, I don’t know, look at a team that’s not there, whether it’s Utah, Detroit or Brooklyn, and maybe there’s someone there who is Maybe instead of sending your pick with Jaden Springer, go out and take advantage of that and decide to acquire someone to help you with that. I think it will be interesting to see what happens.

“PJ Tucker is interesting. The Celtics would have to do their homework on that, not from a trade standpoint, just from a waiver standpoint, because I think his salary is under that cap there. But he hasn’t played all year.” How do you integrate him? Is he happy? They saw that Jae Crowder, who was out of the league for a while, is now in Sacramento and is happy with his role.”

One name to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches is Lonnie Walker IV, who the Celtics signed to an Exhibit 10 contract over the summer but did not retain for their debut roster. Walker is currently playing in Lithuania.

“In the next five or six weeks you’re probably going to hear a lot about Lonnie Walker IV here because his contract in Europe includes a buyout option,” Marks explained. “I talked to his agent when I drove to Orlando and he said, ‘He’s playing great.’ He is well on his way to playing in Europe. So that’s a name.

“He was in (Celtics) camp. (You) know him. He knows the system. He can come in and do so without the expectations that he has to play. But it’s a good insurance policy for a guy to give up in a playoff game because he’s been there before.

The Celtics acquired Xavier Tillman Sr. and Jaden Springer at last year’s trade deadline. And with their own first-round pick and three second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, the C’s could make a move or two before February 6th.

Also in this episode: