The Boston Celtics are expected to be very active in the trade deadline and they have identified two interesting players to face the remainder of the season. The C’s have struggled to find their touch this campaign and making some changes can give them the boost they need for the rest of the season.
The Atlanta Hawks could be the place where the Celtics go shopping as they’re interested in two of their players, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Collins has been drawing attention from around the league in recent days and Boston seems to be pushing for a move for the young player now. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Celtics are ready to make a move for the Atlanta-based duo.
Collins will be a restricted free agent this offseason, so some teams with potential cap space such as Dallas could wait until the offseason to pursue him. But teams like the Celtics would likely need to move now.
Boston’s pursuit of Collins also involves another key Hawks rotation player, according to league sources: Bogdan Bogdanovic, whom the Celtics had some trade discussions about while he was in Sacramento. If the Hawks were to acquire Ball, maybe moving Bogdanovic would make some sense. Both Collins, 23, and Bogdanovic, 28, fit the timeline of All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are 23 and 24 yet are good enough to compete now.
Something to have in mind here is that the Hawks have been linked with Marcus Smart in the past and that could be a factor that would make things easier for the Celtics. It’s unclear if these teams will agree to trade their players but as the trade deadline gets closer, things could get more interesting for everybody in the league.
They have also been linked with Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic and that could be a very good alternative for Brad Stevens and co.
