Boston is in quite an intriguing position as a top seed in the Eastern Conference. The cohesiveness of the team, the leadership of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Head Coach Joe Mazzulla, and their offensive firepower as a collective have resulted in nearly 30 wins before February. However, at times, their ball movement or protection, inefficient shooting nights, or abysmal rebounding have held them back. They could have already surpassed the 30-win threshold under different circumstances. And, this is all without their perennial All-NBA first teamer, Jayson Tatum, since his Achilles injury from the 2025 playoffs. The NBA trade deadline is just one week away. Boston is running out of time to make a move before the playoffs begin. Should the Boston Celtics make a move before the trade deadline?
Should The Boston Celtics Make A Move Before Trade Deadline?
The NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching. As is the return of Tatum for the Boston Celtics. Despite missing Tatum from the lineup, Boston has earned a top seed in the Eastern Conference and posts one of the best records across the league. However, there is still room for improvement in this Celtics squad. With Tatum, they could easily be considered the favourite to win the 2026 NBA Finals. And, with incremental improvements, their championship contention window can be widened behind the duo of Tatum and Brown. The team has made incremental improvements over the year, but a trade for the right piece could multiply their chances to win.
Areas In Need Of Improvement: Rebounding & Efficient Offensive Possessions
Rebounding
As a collection of talent, the Celtics players are undersized, with only a single player at least seven feet tall. This will make it exceedingly difficult to rein in banner number nineteen when the league has guys like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and others. Not to mention the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both standing at seven feet or taller. It should be noted that while Neemias Queta has developed and was part of the 2024 NBA Champion Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis was a huge difference-maker with his height and shooting.
Ball Movement
The Celtics are overachieving this year, but not by much. They have the fewest turnovers per game across the entire NBA, with an average of 11.4 per game. However, they are second-worst in assists per game as a team. This essentially means the assist-to-turnover ratio for Boston is 2:1. That ratio is great, but it could be even greater. This lack of ball movement may be reminiscent of the overachieving Celtics of 2022, who appeared in the NBA Finals that year. Their isolation play in big moments, poor passing, and untimely turnovers by Tatum and Brown underwhelmed the Golden State Warriors. Thus, effectively gifting another championship to the heralded organization. Similar to the Warriors, Boston lives and dies by the three. However, if they wish to increase their rate of efficient offensive possessions, then proper ball movement will be essential to creating easier buckets.
Efficient Scoring
Boston is a very efficient team across the board. They rank in the top ten in free-throw percentage and three-point percentage, but they are middle of the pack in field goal percentage. Their scoring is a lesser issue, at least when compared to the previous two categories. It is more often a problem in tandem with the lack of ball movement. At times, the Celtics can tend to limit their potential via increased isolation possessions. Brown is an incredible two-way athlete; however, his bag of ball-handling moves is somewhat limited. So, Boston has better chances of winning via positive ball movement rather than relying on isolation basketball from Brown. This is one area that will likely be an insignificant issue once Tatum returns, either this season or next season.
Does Boston NEED To Make A Move?
Do the Boston Celtics need to make a move before the February 5th NBA trade deadline? The aforementioned issues poked their heads in a more problematic way towards the season’s opening. They did begin the year with a three-game losing streak after all. However, the inactive Tatum has opened the door for role players to stand out and step up in a big way. The rookie, Hugo Gonzalez, or G-League call-ups, Amari Williams and Ron Harper Jr., have been able to make an impact in limited minutes. Even the new signings, Josh Minott and Luka Garza, have proved to be essential for the success Boston’s had in a season viewed as a gap year.
Making a move at this point in the season could end up dissolving the success they’ve shown to this point. Disrupting a team with positive momentum like this is likely to have an adverse reaction. Boston is exceeding expectations, and they could make a move to open up cap space. That’s the only reason it would make sense for this team to trade anyone before the NBA trade deadline. Considering all these variables, the best course of action to improve the team may be to wait for the off-season. Especially if Tatum plans to return before this season’s playoffs. It’ll be very important to watch how the Celtics finish their season. Dramatic changes could be initiated depending on how they end.
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