Notable players linked to Celtics ahead of 2021 NBA Trade Deadline

Author Sean Sylver

March 24th, 2021 9:45 AM

The 2021 NBA trade deadline falls on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, and the Celtics are once again at the forefront of the news and rumors.

Boston is under .500, and now is probably the time for Danny Ainge to pull his biggest in-season move since Isaiah Thomas joined the Green more than six years ago.

While many fans (at least, those who call sports radio) are down on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston’s two young All-Stars are almost certainly staying put. Marcus Smart, though? Maybe not.

Let’s take a look at some names who’ve been rumored as potential upgrades for a Celtics team clearly struggling to replicate last season’s success.

• PF John Collins, Hawks

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  The 23-year-old projects to be a restricted free agent after failing (so far) to come to terms with Atlanta on an extension. Like Vucevic, Collins has just about everything Brad Stevens desires in a big man, but he’s younger and more athletic. Any team that trades for Collins would immediately want to sign him to a long-term deal.
  
  Like the New Radicals said, “you get what you give.” The Hawks are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase and management will be looking to build on that momentum, not wave the white flag. That perception should affect the asking price.

• PF LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs

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  Just 123 points shy of 20,000 for his career - a milestone only 50 players in NBA history have achieved - Aldridge has been knocking down mid-range jumpers since Jayson Tatum was in elementary school. It’s reasonable to ask how much he has left in the tank.
  
  At minimum, he’s another guy who can help, but he’s not much better than what you already have in the middle. A buyout deal for Aldridge would add to the big man glut unless somebody in the Theis-Thompson-Time Lord triumvirate is headed out the door.

• C Andre Drummond, Cavaliers

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  Christian Arcand wanted the Celtics to trade Gordon Hayward for this guy, last year. Somehow only 27, Mr. Drummond can't help but be labeled the classic “puts up numbers on a bad team” player. Like former teammate Greg Monroe a couple of years back (or Enes Kanter last season), the four-time rebounding champ will hammer the boards, and you can throw it inside to him in a pinch.
  
  Rather than blowing most of their trade exception with this move, the Celtics should pursue Drummond as a buyout candidate.
• F Harrison Barnes, Kings

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  A former NBA champion with Golden State, Barnes is quietly compiling one of the best all-around seasons of his nine-year career in Sacramento. The contract isn’t prohibitive, but the thought of the veteran on the Celtics begs the question - how much different is this team, with Harrison Barnes, from the team with Gordon Hayward that wasn’t good enough to make the Finals last year?

• PF Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers

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  Nance isn’t a star but can jump out of the gym and packs a number of helpful tools the Celtics could use. His affordable contract (roughly $20 million total over the next two years) doesn’t hurt. The son of the former Suns and Cavs great is an attractive fit, but his arrival would have to be paired with that of another piece to truly impact the current roster.

• F Jerami Grant, Pistons

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  The seventh-year forward bet on himself in free agency and has taken the NBA by storm in his first season with the Pistons. He’s got everything the Celtics need and then some, putting up 23 points per game.
  
  With Detroit last in the Eastern Conference, the development of some of their younger players may not coincide with Grant’s prime years. That makes him "available," but it's unlikely the Celtics have what it takes to pry him loose.
• SG Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks

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  Not to be confused with Utah's Bojan Bogdanovic. Is that like naming somebody “Adam Jones” in Serbia? 
  
  The C’s need scoring depth, and this guy checks that box. A dynamic player who was coveted at the deadline last year, the Hawks threw $72 million at him last off-season. Their roster is jammed, so they might have to reconsider, and their loss would be the Celtics' gain. But they’d also be committed to him until 2023. As MassLive's Brian Robb mentioned on a recent podcast, would Boston opt for Bogdanovic over Marcus Smart when the latter's contact is up?
  
  He could also be part of a bigger deal for John Collins.

MORE: More Fuel On The Aaron Gordon Fire

Sean Sylver can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Talk hoops with him on Twitter @TheSylverFox.

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Author Sean Sylver

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