The 2021 NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching and per usual, the Boston Celtics are at the center of the trade universe.
The script is a bit different this year. In years past, the C's have had numerous young assets and draft picks. This year, they don't have as much on the draft-pick front, but they do have a $28.5 million traded player extension from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade.
That gives the Celtics options, and as a result, they can be in on most potential trade targets across the league. And according to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, the Celtics are interested in three major trade targets: John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic.
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Collins is averaging 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Hawks this year. The 23-year-old is set to be a restricted free agent after the season, and he could get a lucrative offer sheet. Still, he'd fill a need for the C's in the frontcourt as a potential stretch-four next to Robert Williams.
That said, Collins won't come cheap and is drawing "significant trade interest" on the open market. As O'Connor outlined, the Hawks want a significant return for Collins.
So, what might an offer from the Celtics entail? Well, they could put together a package including some future first-round picks and players like Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard.
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That said, it's unclear how interested the Hawks would be in the picks given that the C's should pick late in the first round unless their season-long funk continues. Atlanta's interest in the unproven Celtics youngsters may be lukewarm as well, especially if a Beasley-type starter becomes available. So, that's something to keep in mind.
Forsberg: Why John Collins isn't an ideal trade option for Celtics
Elsewhere, O'Connor added, "the Celtics had some trade discussions about [Bodganovic] while he was in Sacramento." The 28-year-old has only played in 17 games this season for the Hawks, but he has averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest while playing 23.1 minutes per game off the bench.
Bogdanovic would certainly help the C's bench and he is on a long-term contract. He's in the first year of a four-year, $72 million deal, so the C's could hypothetically try to acquire both him and Collins with the Hayward and Enes Kanter trade exceptions if they want to get really bold ahead of the deadline.
As for Gordon, who is averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, the Celtics are listed among five teams (the Rockets, Warriors, Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers) that have had discussions about him. That makes sense given his fit in the C's frontcourt.
The potential price for Gordon was revealed in rumors earlier this week, so the C's will have to make a decision on whether or not they want to pay the price for Gordon. And much like the Collins trade scenario, they may have trouble matching some other offers that might be on the table.
No matter what happens -- or what's rumored to happen -- this week, expect the Celtics to be in the mix. We'll soon see if they make any trades, but trades alone won't solve their issues. They'll need to play more like they did in Sunday's victory over the Magic if they have any chance to make noise in the postseason.