The Best of the Day: February 24th, 2021

BOSTON CELTICS WILL MAKE A MAJOR MOVE BEFORE THE TRADE DEADLINE

There has been no team more disappointing during the 2020-21 season so far than the Boston Celtics. After making it all the way to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, BOS seemed poised to finally get past the ECF and make a title run this year. After a solid 8-3 start to the season, the C’s now find themselves under .500 (15-17) for the first time after 30 games played since 2015 and have lost three in a row, four of their last five, and eight of their last 11 games. 

Notorious deal-maker GM Danny Ainge has put the blame on himself and stated he “do[es] not” believe this is a championship roster… Why would the person in control of the roster for a team with clear championship aspirations say these things publicly? All the signs point to a blockbuster deal going down in Beantown before the trade deadline passes. 

When Gordon Hayward departed this past offseason, the Celtics could’ve reportedly landed Myles Turner and a 1st Rd Pick from Indiana in a sign-and-trade, which would’ve represented a fantastic return for a player that could’ve left for nothing. 

The deal instead fell apart and Hayward signed with Charlotte, who was over the cap, so they executed a sign-and-trade as well, which gave Boston a monster $28,500,000 trade exception which it can use for up to an entire year. This allows the Celtics to take back salary $28.5M more than the salary it’s giving away, which unlocks almost any possible trade without any cap restrictions. Anybody is on the table for the Celtics. 

Boston will still have to give up assets in return, which it should have no problem doing with five first-round picks on its roster from the last three years alone (Robert Williams, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard) that could spark a team’s interest looking to rebuild. Considering Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are likely off-limits, their most interesting trade asset could be Kemba Walker. 

A former All-Star who’s still just 30 years old, Walker hasn’t played well in New England and it’s hard to think the team can rely on him in the postseason after his poor performance in last year’s playoffs. Kemba Walker is the biggest x-factor in the entire Eastern Conference, as he still shows up with big 30-point nights on occasions, making the Celtics look close to unstoppable with three legit All-Stars, but other nights he struggles to even reach double-digits with extreme inefficiency. 

Boston’s top targets could include PF Julius Randle (NYK), F/C John Collins (ATL), G/F Victor Oladipo (HOU), PF Aaron Gordon (ORL), SG Buddy Hield and/or SF Harrison Barnes (SAC), PF Lauri Markannen (CHI), G Lonzo Ball (NOP), or C LaMarcus Aldridge (SAS).

A main factor that Ainge will consider is the fact that their starters have only played 28 total minutes together this season with Kemba missing the beginning of the season and Marcus Smart’s absence having a severe impact on the team recently. They might just hope with a fully healthy squad, they can compete with the Nets, 76ers, and Bucks in the East but their recent losing streak, Danny Ainge’s public comments, and possession of that trade exception all point to a blockbuster deal for Boston this year. 

COLORS KEY | FULL CELTICS FUTURE OUTLOOK 

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart have only played 28 total minutes together this season.

(Submitted by @J__Nicholson) pic.twitter.com/hBjIpPCQWB

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 25, 2021

At the half:

Trae Young and Gallinari: 49 Pts
The Celtics: 49 Pts pic.twitter.com/o8bUR9Jyk5

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 25, 2021

The Celtics fall to 15-17 on the season pic.twitter.com/buUuUhU0J3

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 25, 2021

Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day