With the NBA’s trading deadline fast approaching, the Boston Celtics are in a prime position to make a number of different types of moves. Grantland’s Zach Lowe got the rumor mill turning on Monday, writing that Boston has had “exploratory talks” with the Denver Nuggets about point guard Ty Lawson. Lowe also reports that Denver would require a Godfather offer for Lawson (or Kenneth Faried) and that it’s unclear just how interested Boston is.


Regardless, Lawson would make an instant impact on the Celtics and would probably make them one of the two favorites to clinch the seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Lawson is one of the quickest and most creative ball handlers in the league, and can get to the free throw line at a high rate. This is an area Boston desperately needs help, as they rank 29^th in free throw attempts per 100 possessions.

Lawson is also one of the NBA’s best pick-and-roll scorers, averaging 0.88 points per possession, according to Synergy Sports on NBA.com. The 27-year-old point guard is excellent at using the screener and probing the paint before picking the right moment to attack, whether it’s a shot attempt or a pass. This helps explain why he has a highly efficient 47.8 eFG percentage and 42.7 percent score frequency, per Synergy.

Meanwhile, Boston is currently one of the worst pick-and-roll teams in the league, as I outlined in my article yesterday on SB Nation’s CelticsBlog. Lawson would solve one of the team’s main problems and would give them hope at being able to score in slower-paced half court situations, like in the playoffs.

Lawson has two years and $25.6 million remaining on his contract after this season, which might seem like a lot for a 5-foot-11 guard, but it’s really not when you consider just how much the cap number will rise with the new TV contract coming in 2016.

Money isn’t the issue; it’s clearly what Boston would have to give up in order to acquire Lawson, since Lowe reports that the Nuggets would want a “bounty” for him. It wouldn’t be difficult finding pieces that fit, since the Celtics have draft picks and expiring contracts that work (Tayshaun Prince, Marcus Thornton), and a large trade exception that would allow them to absorb Lawson and give any other player in return.

You have to wonder just what exactly Denver would have interest in: Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk would fit well alongside Jusuf Nurkic, but only if they deal Faried; Avery Bradley might be a nice fit, but he’s redundant with Gary Harris waiting in the wings; and James Young is years away from making an impact, but could be of value. No matter how you look at it, unless Boston gives draft picks, they’d have to part with at least one of those players. Fortunately, Lowe reports that Marcus Smart is off the table.

I’d rather see the Celtics trade away players instead of certain picks (especially the Brooklyn first rounders), but it’s all situational depending on any potential deal. As Danny Ainge has said before: draft picks always have value and can always be traded, but players can’t be.

With the Boston Celtics only 1.5 games behind a playoff seed, it appears that they're seeing what's out there in order to make a push, but whether or not they pull the trigger is something we won't find out until the deadline on Thursday afternoon.

Kevin O'Connor can be contacted on Twitter @KevinOConnorNBA or by email at KevinOConnorNBA@gmail.com.