With Kemba Walker out to begin the season, many believed that the Celtics would struggle on the offensive end of the court, but the Celtics started the year off hot thanks to Jaylen Brown. The 24-year old wing has had a breakout season so far this year and is on-track to make his first NBA All-Star game of his career. 

When Kemba was out, Jaylen Brown stepped up and when Jayson Tatum was out due to COVID-19 protocols, Jaylen Brown stepped up. He has been the driving force for this Celtics team this year and gives them a legit shot to finally get over the hump in the Eastern Conference and make it to the NBA Finals. 

Currently, the Boston Celtics are 10-8 and are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Overall though, outside of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, it is hard to find production on this roster. 

Marcus Smart has been reliable on both ends of the court at times, but after suffering a calf strain, he will likely be out until near the end of February. Not to mention, rookie Payton Pritchard was a key bench player in the Celtics rotation before going down with a knee injury and he is expected to be out until the second week of February. 

This season, with Kemba Walker only playing in 6 games so far, the Celtics have really only relied on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for offensive production, which could be a cause for concern moving forward. With the 76ers, Nets, Bucks and the Pacers all making big additions to their teams, the Celtics are going to have to try and pull off a big trade near this season’s trade deadline if they are to contend for a championship. 

Boston does have a $28.5M trade exception stemming from the sign-and-trade with Gordon Hayward and the Charlotte Hornets, so they do have the capability of adding another high-level talent near this season’s trade deadline. Let’s take a look at four intriguing targets for the Celtics with their trade exception.