Because the February 8 commerce deadline looms over the NBA, the league-leading Boston Celtics don’t plan to sit down idly by and let their contender counterparts have all of the enjoyable.
In accordance with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Celtics “have been lively” forward of the deadline. Boston is “trying to package deal a few of their minimal contract gamers on the finish of the rotation and draft choose compensation to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs.”
Scotto listed Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, and Andre Drummond as gamers the Celtics have expressed curiosity in.
Neither Olynyk nor Wright matches into the Celtics’ Grant Williams TPE, whereas Drummond’s contract does.
A commerce for Olynyk’s $12.19 million wage must embody Payton Pritchard and 4 of Boston’s minimum-contract guys to make the cash work. Wright makes simply $8.19, so Boston might technically get to that quantity with simply Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, and Dalano Banton.
In the meantime, Drummond may very well be acquired with simply picks and brought into the TPE, as he makes simply $3.36 million.
Boston’s reported willingness to package deal their end-of-the-bench gamers for potential upgrades might sign a need so as to add somebody making greater than their TPE is price. Nonetheless, whether or not or not that inclination extends to Pritchard is unclear however seemingly uncertain, contemplating they only handed him a brand new contract that makes him poison-pilled in trades.