Celtics to put major assets on trade block as deadline approaches, per Woj

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reveals the Celtics' mindset ahead of the trade deadline with a focus on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The Boston Celtics have had a relatively strong start to the new year and their huge win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday (followed by another victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday) shows that this team appears to be moving in the right direction.

Be that as it may, the Celtics are still expected to be active in the market as the trade deadline approached. Whispers have recently gotten stronger about Boston potentially breaking up the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown partnership, but according to ESPN's NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski, this just isn't going to happen. Nevertheless, Boston could still be willing to put other major assets on the table:

“It's to build around Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum, not to break those two up,” Woj stated in a recent episode of NBA Today. “The hard part for Boston is what are the other tradeable assets that they're willing to move on from? They don't want to trade Robert Williams, their young center. That's a player that they really see at the center of what they're doing moving forward.

But I think Marcus Smart, some of the young players on the roster, second- and third-year guards/forwards, I think they're seeing what the value for those players out there. Josh Richardson, but I'm not sure. Dennis Schroder — that's a player I think if they can keep building up his value. … I think those are all players available on the marketplace.”

While Tatum, Brown, and Robert Williams seem to have all earned untouchable status with the Celtics, the same cannot be said for Marcus Smart, who many consider being the heart and soul of this squad. Nevertheless, with the Celtics looking to shake up their stagnant roster, Smart could very easily end up being the sacrificial lamb. Dennis Schroder appears to be on the same boat as well.

Woj also went on to say that while the Celtics might not have enough valuable assets to join the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, they could be looking to add a “playmaker wing player” that would be complementary to both Tatum and Brown. There are more than a few players out there that could fit the bill for Boston, and it wouldn't be surprising if the front office pulls the trigger on a blockbuster deal in the coming weeks.