The action before Thursday's NBA trade deadline is heating up, and two major deals already are reportedly done or close to being finalized.
The first major trade to be reported Tuesday was the Trail Blazers sending star guard CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a deal that included multiple players and draft picks going to Portland.
The second deal came a few hours later. The Indiana Pacers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, are sending Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.
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Kings fans are understandably upset at Haliburton being moved in just his second season after Sacramento selected him with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Haliburton is just 21 years old and averaging 14.3 points and 7.4 assists per game, while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range. He's a star in the making, and now he's in Indiana.
How does this Kings-Pacers blockbuster impact the Boston Celtics? Well, a few players rumored/speculated to be Celtics trade targets were included in this deal.
One of them is Buddy Hield, who is an excellent outside shooter. He's shooting 36 percent on 3-point attempts this season but he's at 40 percent over his entire career. Sabonis would've been another good target for the Celtics. He's an All-Star caliber player who will give you close to 17 points and 10 rebounds on a nightly basis. He's also a pretty good passer.
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Justin Holiday was another potential option for the Celtics as a backup point guard who could provide scoring and outside shooting off the bench in the event that veteran guard Dennis Schroder is moved by Boston.
It's possible some of these players could be moved again before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, so they might still be potential targets for the Celtics.
Who else could the Celtics pursue if these players are off their board?
Here are some of the options we came up with in late January:
- Bradley Beal, G, Wizards
- De'Aaron Fox, G, Kings
- Derrick White, G, Spurs
- Jalen Brunson, G, Mavericks
- Kevin Huerter, G, Hawks
- Duncan Robinson, G/F, Heat
- Jalen Smith, F/C, Suns
Would Bucks be a good Schroder trade partner for Celtics?
Other potential fits include Pacers forward Myles Turner, Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker and Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley.
The Celtics reportedly have talked to the Milwaukee Bucks about a trade involving Schroder and Donte DiVincenzo. C's guard Marcus Smart has drawn interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks, according to various reports.
Boston would be wise to search for roster upgrades before the trade deadline, especially with the team having won five consecutive games and playing so well defensively. The Eastern Conference also looks decently wide open given the Brooklyn Nets' recent slide.
The chances of a major move don't seem too high, though. Those deals are tough to pull off during the season, so the most likely outcome is probably a small move (or two) from the Celtics that bolsters their bench depth.