Insider Expects Celtics To Be ‘Active’ at NBA Trade Deadline

The Celtics could be looking to add to their roster sooner than later.

Still sitting alone atop the Eastern Conference standings at 15-5, Boston was denied a trip to Las Vegas for the in-season tournament semifinals in a 122-112 loss to the Pacers on Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The loss poked a few holes in the Celtics’ rotation, and one NBA insider believes the team will be looking to bulk up their depth in the coming months.

“I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation,” Shams Charania said Tuesday on FanDuel’s Run It Back show.

"I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation."@ShamsCharania's biggest concern for the Celtics is late game execution, what kind of player are they missing? ????

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— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 5, 2023

The Celtics rank second in defensive rating (108.2) and 10th in offensive rating (116.7) this season, but most of the production is coming from their star-studded starting lineup.

Through 20 games, Boston’s bench ranks 29th in bench points per game (25.7), only edging the 76ers in that category. Sam Hauser is the Celtics’ top-scoring reserve (10.0 points per game) followed by Al Horford (7.3) and Payton Pritchard (6.2).

The Celtics’ bench was outscored 33-21 in their loss to Indiana on Monday.

Among the potential trade targets could be Bulls guards Alex Caruso and Jevon Carter and Wizards guard Delon Wright, who are all contributing on teams expected to be sellers later this season.