Three Celtics NBA Trade Deadline Narratives to Monitor Before February 5

The Boston Celtics weren't supposed to be back at the top of the Eastern Conference, but with the calendar turning to 2026, that's where they find themselves ahead of the February 5 NBA trade deadline.

Being an over performing team changes the conversation surrounding this deadline. It's simultaneously hard to break up a team gelling this well so quickly, while it's also tough not to find an upgrade to put the roster in a better position to rack up postseason wins.

With that in mind, these three narratives figure to shape the team's deadline plans:

The Anfernee Simons Questions

Can the front office successfully replace Anfernee Simons in the second unit's backcourt if they traded him away? Can they get anything of value for Simons' $27 million cap hit? It's hard to find teams willing to take that on that have things worth trading.

Simons' future is an interesting one. The way his January is going, he can't be replaced right now by anyone on the buyout market. Microwave scorers don't grow on trees, and even if they sprouted en masse out of the ground, they wouldn't have the experience in Joe Mazzulla's system that Simons does.

That makes the question of trading him a nearly impossible one to answer just yet. Even if he continues playing well, does new ownership want to make an impulse buy and extend him for several years on an eight or even nine-figure payout?

The Neemias Queta Quandary

Earlier this season, talk about finding another big man to play alongside Neemias Queta was prevalent. It's since faded away, with Luka Garza stepping up in big moments and proving the team may not need to make a splash in the frontcourt.

Boston's big man depth is shaky beyond those two. Garza's defense is improving, but it still makes him unplayable in the postseason beyond spot minutes. Finding a third big who's defense-oriented could make sense.

That's somewhere the buyout market could offer a quick solution. Maybe a promotion for Maine Celtics center Amari Williams from the G League is the play here.

The New Ownership Group's Agenda

What is this new ownership group's threshold for spending? Is Bill Chisholm a conservative figurehead or someone who is willing to spend big right away? This is an important off-court development that has a direct correlation with the on-court product.

There's not much to speculate on here until new ownership puts its money where its mouth is. Or doesn't.