Celtics reportedly "one of the more active teams" in trade talks this offseason
BOSTON -- Brad Stevens has already bolstered Joe Mazzulla's coaching staff this offseason, and now his sights are set on ways to improve the Boston roster. The Celtics president of basketball ops. has been feverishly working the phones since Boston's season ended, according to one report.
With the NBA Draft less than a week away, Brian Robb of MassLive is reporting that Stevens and the Celtics have been "one of the more active teams in the league in trade talks." Boston is reportedly going to sit out the Bradley Beal sweepstakes (and Damian Lillard doesn't seem interesting in coming to the Celtics), but Stevens is exploring non-blockbuster moves to make "tweaks to the supporting cast around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown," according to Robb.
One way to do that would be taking advantage of the team's plethora of guards. The Celtics currently have Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all signed for next season, and any of them could be used in trades to address needs elsewhere on the roster. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported Friday that Boston is fielding trade calls on all of them.
Pritchard has expressed his desire to get more minutes next season after being buried on the Boston bench in his sophomore campaign, even if that means getting dealt to a new team. Pritchard alone may not get the Celtics much in return, but Smart, Brogdon, or White could as part of a bigger trade package.
The Celtics could certainly use some more help in the frontcourt given Rob Williams' constant battle with injuries and Al Horford recently celebrating his 37th birthday. Versatile forward Grant Williams is also set to hit restricted free agency, and may get a little too pricy for Boston to match an offer that he receives.
Boston reportedly reached out to Detroit to see if they'd be willing to deal versatile big man Isaiah Stewart, but the Pistons wanted no part of that. So Stevens' quest to improve the Boston roster continues.
The Celtics own just a second-round pick -- 35th overall -- in next week's NBA Draft. Free agency tips off at 6 p.m. on June 30th.
