Boston Celtics Trade Rumors: 3 things to expect before next week's trade deadline
Ahead of the 2018/19 NBA season, the Boston Celtics were the heavy favorites to advance from the Eastern Conference. A path to the NBA Finals had finally opened up following LeBron James' move to Los Angeles, and Boston appeared best equipped to become the division's new dominant force.
After all, they had reached the Eastern Conference Finals with a team missing both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, while boasting a roster full of exciting young players including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Nevertheless, the Celtics have disappointed so far this term and will face tough competition in the Playoffs from both the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers. The window to make trades will close in just a few days' time, so here we look at three things to expect from the Celtics in the build-up to the trade deadline:
#3 No offers for Gordon Hayward
During the 2017 off-season, Gordon Hayward joined the Boston Celtics from the Utah Jazz on a reported four-year, $128 million contract. Hayward was expected to form part of a dynamic partnership with fellow All-Star Kyrie. However, he suffered a season-ending injury on the opening night of the 17/18 campaign.
He has since returned to full fitness, though the 28-year-old has failed to break into the Celtics starting five and his scoring production is down significantly from the numbers he posted during his final years in Utah. His poor form has seen him linked with a trade away from the team, but a mid-season trade makes little sense.
They will have an incredibly difficult time finding a buyer for Hayward given his huge contract and the power forward could yet return to his former self in future. A trade may present itself later in 2019, though it makes little sense this month.