NBA Rumors: Celtics Pursuing Two Stars 'Fit' For Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown's Game

The Boston Celtics could be looking at swinging a deal for a pair of NBA rising stars.

Team president Danny Ainge has been known for recruiting talents almost every season. With just days away from the trade deadline, the scenario in Boston is no different this time.

Apparently, the Celtics are now pursuing Atlanta Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported, citing unnamed sources.

According to O’Connor, the Celtics have already had “some trade discussions” with the Hawks regarding Bogdanovic.

“Boston’s pursuit of Collins also involves another key Hawks rotation player, according to league sources: Bogdan Bogdanovic, whom the Celtics had some trade discussions about while he was in Sacramento,” O’Connor wrote.

Aside from Bogdanovic, the NBA insider also name-dropped Collins and assessed that the Hawks pair could complement the playing style of Celtics All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

“Both Collins, 23, and Bogdanovic, 28, fit the timeline of All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are 23 and 24, yet are good enough to compete now,” he added.

Should the said deal comes to fruition, the Celtics will cop two of the most promising stars in the league.

Bogdanovic has emerged as one of the most versatile players in the NBA during his time with the Sacramento Kings and is now beginning to make his mark in Atlanta.

Collins, on the other hand, has been playing some of the best seasons of his career with the Hawks, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game to date.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks previously reported that the 23-year-old has now become the “No. 1 power forward” in free agency.

"John Collins ranks as the No. 1 power forward in free agency, and teams like Dallas, Miami and New York are well positioned to sign him to an offer sheet starting at $28 million for the first season," Marks said.

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk meanwhile, has hinted at the possibility of closing a deal before the trade deadline earlier this month.

According to Schlenk, trade scenarios are “hard to gauge” and things “get real serious” in the closing days.

“Right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything on the horizon, but that can change,” Schlenk told The Athletic. “You rarely get teams’ best offers. Nobody gets real serious until you get down to the last week or two. It’s hard to gauge.”

“We certainly will look to do anything we can to do anything we can that feels like, is going to make us a better team in the short-term and the long-term,” the executive added. “Those sometimes don’t go hand-in-hand, but we’ll look at any situation we think that will help us."