Pouring Cold Water on Celtics' Latest Trade Rumor

If the Boston Celtics make a trade by the deadline on Feb. 8, they will most likely acquire someone who fits into their $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Boston Celtics completed a regular-season sweep of their series with the Toronto Raptors for the second straight year.

They did so with a 105-96 win, improving their NBA-leading record to 31-9. But sitting atop the NBA standings in mid-January isn't about to persuade the team's president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, to leave stones unturned as he works to give Boston its best chance of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent media availability, Danny Ainge's successor conveyed he'd like to see "how we can find another big wing or so that can help us."

Perhaps that messaging played a role in BetOnline listing the Celtics as the favorites to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic if the Atlanta Hawks part with him by the Feb. 8 trade deadline, placing 2/1 odds on him landing in Boston if he's dealt.

The 31-year-old sharpshooter is averaging 16.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals for a Hawks team that's 16-23, sharing the same record as the Brooklyn Nets, the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Bogdanovic is taking 8.6 threes per contest and converting them at a 36.6 percent clip, a dip from his 38.4 percent accuracy for his career on 6.4 attempts from beyond the arc.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

At 4-1 odds, BetOnline has the C's as the second-most likely destination for Bojan Bogdanovic if the 4-36 NBA cellar-dwelling Detroit Pistons reroute him by the trade deadline.

The six-foot-seven forward has appeared in 19 games this season, producing 19.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. He's also drilling 40.7 percent of his 7.4 three-point attempts.

Either would represent a fantastic addition, but the cost it will take makes the prospect of a Bogdanovic joining the Celtics before the trade deadline passes unrealistic.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is earning $18.7 million this season. He's on a four-year, $68 million deal that has two years left, plus a club option and carries an average annual value of $17 million.

Bojan Bogdanovic is on the Pistons' books for $20 million for the 2023-24 campaign. He then has a cap hit worth slightly north of $19 million, but only two million of that is fully guaranteed.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

As much as either player could help Boston's quest for Banner 18, the idea of the Celtics reconfiguring their top six or parting with Al Horford and reconstructing their second unit to do so is highly unlikely to happen.

In fact, when it comes to the franchise's search for a big wing, Stevens expressed that, "I think that could be from within."

So, while he added, "I also think that we'll continue to monitor free agency and trades," Oshae Brissett is making a compelling case that he's the right candidate for the job.

If Boston brings in an external option, regardless of position, the Celtics will most likely acquire an individual who fits into their $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception.

Further Reading

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Ime Udoka Assesses Tatum and Brown's Growth Since Coaching Them: 'A Lot of Potential That I Haven't Tapped Into'

Ime Udoka Shares How He Felt After Celtics Suspended Him: 'We've Talked It Out'

Marcus Smart in Danger of Missing Return to Boston

Jrue Holiday Responds to Celtics Saying He's Sacrificing Most: 'Not Mad at My Situation'

Driven by Championship Pursuit, Jayson Tatum Unfazed by Sacrifice, Less Fanfare: 'Don't Look for That Praise'

Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So

Derrick White Opens Up About Journey from Uncertainty He Belonged in the NBA to an All-Star Caliber Guard

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'