Rockets Wing Reportedly 'Attracting Interest' from Celtics

There are two reasons signaling the Celtics trading for Jae'Sean Tate is unlikely to happen.

With the Feb. 8 trade deadline nearly a week away, the Boston Celtics sit atop the NBA standings with a 37-11 record.

The franchise's president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, has made it clear his team is interested in adding a big wing. It's a role he believes the organization can fill internally, with Oshae Brissett making a compelling case to do so.

But as Boston weighs its external options, Jae'Sean Tate is a target reportedly "attracting interest" from the Celtics, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The six-foot-four wing averages 18.4 minutes for Houston Rockets first-year head coach Ime Udoka. Now in his fourth NBA season, that's the lowest of his career. Tate is producing 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in that floor time.

The 28-year-old wing is a versatile, athletic potential target who generated 11.8 points per contest and started 77 games in his second year in the league.

However, he's on the books for $6.5 million for the current campaign, so Boston could not acquire him using the $6.2 million Grant Williams traded player exception.

That alone makes striking a deal for Tate unlikely. Adding to this is the fact he's not much of a threat from beyond the arc. The former Ohio State Buckeye is shooting 29.2 percent on 1.5 three-point attempts this season. He's converting on 30.5 percent of his 2.3 career tries from three-point range.

That combination suggests the Celtics will go in a different direction if they add to their roster.

Further Reading

Celtics' Fending Off Pacers' Second-Half Surge Reflects Their Determination to 'Fight Through Everything'

Derrick White Opens Up About Shooting Slump After Propelling Celtics Past Pelicans: 'Don't Feel Sorry for Yourself'

Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Top Heat in One of Their Best Performances This Season

Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So

Derrick White Opens Up About Journey from Uncertainty He Belonged in the NBA to an All-Star Caliber Guard

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'