According to Marc Stein, league sources say the Boston Celtics are “among the teams that is monitoring Utah’s Kelly Olynyk in advance of a potential trade pursuit.”
The big man is playing just under 22 minutes a game averaging 7.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Olynyk is having a great season in Utah and has been very efficient while on the court. From the floor he’s shooting 54.9%, 41.8% from beyond the arc, and 88.9% at the line.
It will be a tricky deal for Boston to get done given the Celtics will have to match the $12 million that Olynyk is making this season. Olynyk is in the third year of a three-year $37,195,122 deal that he initially signed with the Pistons.
As CelticsBlog and Spotrac’s Keith Smith laid out, it’ll take a rotation player or stacking a bunch of players together for the Canadian.
Olynyk has been having an outstanding season. Efficiency is off the charts and he’s put up good counting stats, despite not playing a ton.
But…(wet blanket time!)
It’s hard for Boston to match $12M in trade. It’s either a rotation guy, or stacking together a bunch of guys. https://t.co/rXvxjLnYCC
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 25, 2023
This is the second rumor to recently come out about Boston’s interest in adding frontcourt depth. It was earlier reported the Celtics are also interested in Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart.
If a deal can get done, the Celtics will add a proven vet which will help their bench options and upgrade its frontcourt. Olynyk is in the final year of his contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Olynyk, who started his career in Boston after being the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft has enjoyed a successful career playing for five teams. Celtics fans will remember the infamous Game 7 win in Round Two against the Wizards in 2017 when he dropped 26 points.
