A Winger Worth $37 Million Has Been Linked To The Celtics

January 12, 2023

The Boston Celtics don’t appear likely to make any major roster changes before the February 9 trade deadline. But…

The Boston Celtics are in spectacular form so far this season

Boston Celtics trade Josh Hart

According to Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston, if the Celtics acquire Josh Hart in a trade and use him to pair with Malcolm Brogdon off the bench, the resulting reshuffle of the bench rotation could be beneficial.

“Given Hart’s hefty contract, the C’s likely would have to trade Gallinari and one or two other players to absorb his salary. But Hart would be a seamless fit on Boston’s second unit as a well-rounded wing who can shoot, facilitate and grab rebounds. A bench led by Brogdon and Hart would be quite formidable,” Hartwell wrote.

In the second year of a three-year, $37.9 million contract that pays him $12.9 million annually, Hart is currently enjoying the fruits of his labor. In addition, Hart has a player option for next season, which means he can choose to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. If the Celtics were to trade for Hart, Brad Stevens would want guarantees that Hart would opt in to that final year.

Boston Can Trade Danilo Gallinari

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston reported on January 6 that the Celtics are at a crossroads with Danilo Gallinari as they look to improve their roster for what appears to be a potential championship push while remaining loyal to the player they signed as a free agent last summer.

“It might be somewhat cold to trade him as he rehabs without having never played a minute in a Celtics jersey. Alas, it goes back to the bottom line: The Celtics are on a quest for a title, and you have to use every asset available. Gallinari’s $6.5 million salary creates avenues for adding talent that might preserve a diminished draft stash and potentially keeps from adding to a stiff luxury tax bill,” Forsberg wrote.

The 34-year-old Gallinari hasn’t played for the Celtics this season due to an ACL injury he sustained while playing for Italy at the Fiba EuroBasket competition this summer, and he could be a trade chip in the coming weeks.

If Payton Pritchard is traded, it would be a good move for the Celtics

John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote on November 22 that third-year guard Payton Pritchard should be traded to a team that can give him a stable role and room to develop.

“Pritchard is 25, shoots 41.2 percent career from 3, and has another year left beyond this one on a rookie contract that pays him peanuts. He’s valuable! He’s just less valuable to Boston right now than almost any other team. In his case, one out would seem to be as a trade chip to get Boston another big man. The Celtics have thus far survived the absence of Robert Williams III, with the help of some solid contributions from scrap-heap pickup Luke Kornet, but the injuries to Williams and Gallinari exposed what is perhaps the one weakness on a loaded Boston team,” Hollinger wrote.

Boston should consider options for moving on from Pritchard since he has not been able to break into the rotation since Malcolm Brogdon’s arrival this summer. They could wait until the summer, though, because the sharpshooting guard acts as extra insurance against harm.