What options do Celtics have before 2025 NBA trade deadline? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics have started out their NBA title defense very well with a 21-6 record through 27 games.
Jayson Tatum is a legit 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 amid a career-best season for the 26-year-old point guard. Boston, as a team, is on pace to break several single-season league records for 3-point shooting.
There’s a lot to like about how the Celtics are playing right now, but you can always improve both on the court and in terms of building the roster.
The trade deadline is set for Feb. 6, so there’s still more than a month remaining for teams to make deals ahead of the playoffs. The Celtics are in the second apron, though, which is a part of the CBA that puts 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 nears:
The Celtics cannot aggregate contracts in a trade, meaning they cannot combine contracts to acquire a more valuable player. If the Celtics were to move, say, Jaden Springer’s $4 million contract, they cannot combine him with Queta’s $2 million deal to hunt a $6 million player.
The Celtics cannot sign any buyout player who was previously making more than the midlevel exception this season.
On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Talk Podcast, Forsberg was joined by ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks.
🔊 Celtics Talk: Exploring Celtics’ roster options with ESPN’s Bobby Marks | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
What might the Celtics want to look for if they do make a move in the trade market or on waivers or the buyout market? Marks thinks wing depth and/or another frontcourt player would make sense.
“Listen, everybody wants wing depth, that’s always the big thing,” Marks said. “Hey, can we get a big wing off our bench? I think all playoff teams are looking for it, and can you get a little more frontcourt depth, kind of in between a small…
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