BOSTON — Two months before the NBA trade deadline, Brad Stevens said the Boston Celtics are still in the process of evaluating what they have inside their building but could potentially be buyers if they find the right opportunity.
“We will not put a ceiling on this group,” Stevens said after practice Wednesday. “If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals, and it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we’re in a position to compete for what we want to compete for (a championship).”
The Celtics find themselves in an interesting situation entering trade season. Currently about $12.1 million over the luxury tax threshold, they could consider shedding salary. However, they have also played well enough to warrant a possible midseason acquisition. Despite dropping their last two games, the Celtics sit in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 15-11. They hold the NBA’s sixth-best net rating at plus-5.9.
As promising as his team’s start has been, Stevens brought up the jumbled Eastern Conference landscape when suggesting he will take his time determining an approach to the trade deadline. The Celtics and ninth-place Miami Heat are only separated by one game.
“I think everybody, or a lot of teams, are really still very much in, ‘Let’s see how everything looks as time goes on,’” Stevens said. “Everybody’s a work in progress. What’s the difference between third and ninth in the East right now? There’s hardly anything, right? And I think that we’re all still trying to figure out who we are and what we can be.”
While leaving the door open to a possible addition, Stevens did not share any specifics of what he believes the Celtics need. Still, it would make sense for the Celtics to target a big man either at the trade deadline or during the offseason. Twenty-six games into the season, it’s clearly the team’s biggest position of need. Though small lineups have helped them overcome their lack of frontcourt depth, using Josh Minott out of his natural position has left them vulnerable on defense and on the glass.
Boston could also “add” Jayson Tatum at some point this season. Stevens reiterated that the Celtics won’t put a timeline on the All-Star’s return from a torn Achilles, but pointed out that they declined to apply for a disabled player exception, which they only would have been eligible for if Tatum were expected to miss the entire season.
“We’re not putting a timeline on it as we haven’t the whole time,” Stevens said. “One of the things that everybody can see (is) that we didn’t apply for a DPE this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons. But the reality is he’s not going to be back until he’s 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it. And that’s a big part of it, right? Obviously, he’s itching to play. Obviously he hates watching. But he’s also very cognizant of the need to meet every threshold and why there are those things that are put in place. We’ve had a lot of great talks about it. You know, one of the things that we love about this whole group, and I think the guys that have been here the longest lead the charge, is they love to play.”
Stevens said Tatum has made “great strides” in his rehab but still has plenty of boxes to check.
“There’s the strength thresholds he has to meet,” Stevens said. “And then, after that, several weeks of progressions, right, from the standpoint of scripted against small groups, scripted against bigger groups, scripted in 5-on-5, unscripted random, all the way up through those. But it’s a long progression, and it’s almost like, once you hit the strength, then you do your thresholds of a progression of play, and then you’re also reconditioning to play real minutes, whatever that looks like.”
With Tatum injured and several other key contributors from last season’s team gone, the Celtics have had more opportunities for young players like Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta. Stevens was complimentary of both. Overall, he has been pleased with the direction of his team.
“A lot of positive, seen good growth, which is important,” Stevens said. “I think we’re in the midst of it, as every other team is, and there’s a fine line between feeling really good about yourself and not feeling so good about yourself. And I think we just have to kind of stay in the work. I’ve kind of looked at us on a positive side, a work in progress, where I’m really encouraged by both the work and the progress. You know, I think that we’re making strides, and so we just have to continue to do it.”
