Latest Celtics Trade Idea Has NBA Writer Fuming

The Boston Celtics are expected to remain flexible when it comes to roster-building, so long as proposed moves don’t mess up Brad Stevens’ money-saving blueprint. Amid what many people feel will be a transition year for Boston, the Celtics will receive plenty of trade calls from teams trying to gauge their situation.

As we imagine potential fits for the Celtics, of course, not all trade ideas are equal. A particularly curious proposal emerged from ClutchPoints’ Rohan Brahmbhatt recently: the notion that Boston might be interested in trading for DeMar DeRozan.

Pretty quickly, the idea was shot down by various Celtics pundits, most notably Jack Simone of Hardwood Houdini.

“DeRozan makes no sense for the Celtics,” Simone wrote.

“First and foremost, DeRozan is already 36 years old. He only has a few NBA years left, and if the Celtics are looking to build out a championship roster for when Jayson Tatum returns from his injury, adding someone like that doesn’t make sense.”

“DeRozan is an isolation-heavy scorer,” Simone continued. “The Celtics already have one of those guys on the roster heading into next season—Jaylen Brown. And once Tatum comes back, they will have two guys who need the ball in their hands to be at their best. Having a third would clog things up way too much. Plus, taking a look at the short-term, DeRozan’s play style would get in the way of Boston developing the players it should be prioritizing right now.”

“DeRozan makes $24.7 million next season, and in order for the Celtics to match that salary, they would have to trade one of Tatum, Brown, (Derrick) White, or (Anfernee) Simons,” Simone added. “Trading any of the first three guys would make no sense, so it would have to be Simons.No matter how the argument is spun, DeRozan makes zero sense for the Celtics.”

While some may feel that the Celtics could use more veterans (like DeRozan) on the 2025-26 squad, don’t forget that Brown, White, Pritchard and even Sam Hauser have experienced a ton of high-pressure playoff situations, not excluding a championship run.

In other words, the Celtics are more experienced than their collective age indicates. If Stevens is going to make a move for a vet, it’ll more than likely be to bring in someone on a minimum salary.