The Boston Celtics made a lot of noise during the off-season by making two big moves before the season started, and they might not be done yet.

Boston isn’t happy with being in first place in the Eastern Conference after 20 games (15-15) of the 2023–24 season. With the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, it was clear that the front office and ownership are willing to do everything possible to avoid losing again. This attitude could come into play before the NBA trade deadline on February 8.

Rumor has it that the Celtics will be busy in the trade market as February approaches to see if they can add more players to their bench. Shams Charania from The Athletic said this on FanDuel Sportsbook’s “Run It Back.”

In terms of Boston’s longer starting group, there is enough depth.

Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, can use any night Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Porzingis, and Holiday. He can also use Al Horford as a starter or a sixth man, similar to how Malcolm Brogdon was used last season. The team has no trouble with this.

The only thing that worries me is how to support the depth when Mazzulla needs to rest the players during important third- and fourth-quarter stretches.

Boston is last in the NBA in both field goal percentage (42.2%) and third-quarter scoring (25.3 points). Last time, that led to the Celtics being eliminated right away in Monday night’s NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal game against the Pacers.

The Celtics didn’t do themselves any favors by shooting just 8 for 20 and turning the ball over three times against a team they had beaten by a record-setting 155 points on November 1. Mazzulla’s team scored 23 points while Indiana scored 37, giving the Pacers an 11-point lead going into the last frame.

Payton Pritchard and Delano Banton scored no points from the field between them, which was in addition to Sam Hauser’s 15 points.

Looking ahead, something needs to change. Given Boston’s stated activity around the deadline, here are three good options to think about:

The Chicago Bulls’ Andre Drummond

It seems like the price is low and there isn’t much danger, so the Bulls are a great candidate to go on full yard sale mode before the deadline.

Chicago failed to build around stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, and they’ve had to deal with Lonzo Ball’s uncertain but worrying injury status for almost two years. This can only mean one thing: It’s time to tank!

Drummond, who is 30 years old, could give the Celtics good production off the bench as an upgrade at guarding the basket, which would ease concerns about Porzingis’s ongoing injury history. Drummond wouldn’t have to do much to make a difference if he was only used in the front court.

Drummond is a four-time NBA rebounding leader, with the most recent title coming in 2020. He is getting 10.5 boards per 36 minutes and is signed to a two-year, $6.5 million deal with Chicago, which checks a lot of boxes for Boston.

The San Antonio Spurs’ Cedi Osman

The Spurs bought Osman a little more than five months ago, but during head coach Gregg Popovich’s worst years, there’s no reason to stay with contending teams that need to add players in the middle of the season.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says that the 28-year-old is “expected” to be one of several players from San Antonio who could be traded. This could give Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens a chance to be creative and look for new options.

Osman has averaged 8.2 points, two assists, and 0.4 steals while coming off the bench for the Spurs, who are 3-16 and last in the Western Conference. He has also shot a career-high 39.7% from 3-point range. That could give the Celtics another outside shooter to pair with Hauser off the bench. This would help Boston’s offense, which already needs more outside shots.

Osman has a deal that expires in 2024 for $6.7 million, and he will be able to sign with any team he wants.

The Chicago Bulls’ Alex Caruso

People often talk about trades, and Caruso has never been in a better situation to be moved from Chicago.

The Bulls have almost no reason to keep Caruso since they are likely to start over. The front office is under a lot of pressure to decide whether to stick with the current roster through the rest of the season or completely tank to get a better draft place in 2024.

Caruso, on the other hand, shouldn’t have any trouble getting trade offers from teams in the running or in the middle of the deal.

The 29-year-old is set to make $9.4 million plus a partly guaranteed $9.8 million next season. He was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team last season. Caruso has blocked 1.4 shots per game, which is the ninth most of any shooting guard in the NBA. He has also scored 9.7 points per game and made 54% of his field goal attempts, which are both career highs.

Caruso, like White and Holiday, can play a lot of different defensive situations. This could give the Celtics a tough player they’ve been missing from their second unit.

The biggest task would be to match the $9.4 million that Caruso has.

Boston still has a spot on the roster open and a moved player exception worth $6.2 million from the trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Grant Williams.