Celtics Lab 34: Buying or selling trade rumors ahead of the deadline

With a historically-massive $28.5 million traded player exception (TPE) generated by the exit of veteran forward Gordon Hayward last offseason, the Boston Celtics find themselves the nexus of the 2021 NBA trade deadline, for better or worse.

And with a COVID-inflected season that’s seen the Celtics’ fortunes rise and fall with the seeming fickleness of the weather, many a fan is clamoring for the fabled-but-absent trade deadline fireworks when they very well could get sparklers if they get anything at all. Team president Danny Ainge has made it clear he has no problem whatever waiting until the coming offseason to use the TPE if the right deal doesn’t materialize for Boston, yet the rumors continue unabated linking the Celtics to any number of potential moves.

Which ones make sense? Which ones are nonsense? In this episode, we’ll do our best to answer those questions.

Join hosts Alex Goldberg, Justin Quinn and Cam Tabatabaie as they put a magnifying glass to the sundry trade whispers concerning the Celtics as March 25th approaches.