Celtics trade, Celtics trade target, Yves Missi
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Center Luka Garza #52 of the Boston Celtics shoots over center Yves Missi #21 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter of the NBA game at Smoothie King Center on October 27, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As has been widely documented, the Boston Celtics are aggressively seeking a new starting center ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, with names such as Ivica Zubac, Jaren Jackson Jr., Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, Onyeka Okongwu and Yves Missi floated as potential Celtics trade targets.
Among them, the player who may be the easiest to acquire, from a financial standpoint, is New Orleans Pelicans‘ Missi, who’s owed $3.5M in 2026-27 and $5.5M in 2027-28, making him an attractive piece for the Celtics and other championship contenders.
And while Missi has generated a lot of interest, the second-year big man reportedly feels “frustrated” that his name has been attached to the rumor mill.
Celtics Trade Target: Yves Missi
According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Missi, who made the All-Rookie Second Team last year, is frustrated with the Pelicans, as he has been relegated to a bench role to make way for talented rookie Derik Queen this season.
“The 21-year-old big man and his camp feel disrespected by the Pelicans for his major decrease in minutes, and tension has formed between the two sides, sources say,” Siegel reported over the weekend.
“Not only does Missi want an elevated role, but the organization is fielding a ton of [trade] interest in him, making him one of the most likely players to be on the move before this year’s trade deadline.”
Missi is averaging just 19.1 minutes in his second season, after logging 26.8 minutes and starting 67 games as a rookie, when he averaged 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He was widely expected to take a huge step this season, but Queen’s arrival has turned him into an ancillary piece in James Borrego’s rotation.
Celtics Trade Deadline Plans
Besides the Celtics, at least five other teams have reportedly reached out to the Pelicans about a potential Yves Missi trade ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. Among them are the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers.
While it’s unknown what the Pelicans seek in a trade for Missi, the Celtics have control of most of their future draft assets, save for 2029 (traded to Portland) and 2032 (frozen), and could therefore make a compelling offer for the second-year big man. The C’s could also part with Luka Garza if they feel Missi would be an upgrade, or even with rookie guard Hugo González. If the Celtics use Anfernee Simons’ expiring contract in a deal, they’d have to take back a lot of additional salary from the Pelicans.
The Celtics plan to be “aggressive” in trying to land a new starting center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“They’ve been in the marketplace, trying to go get a big-time starting center potentially,” Charania told the “Pat McAfee Show” last Thursday.
“They’re going to be aggressive, I think, in moving the needle. They’ve got assets. They’ve got contracts to play with.”
The Celtics were previously expected to use Simons’ expiring deal in a salary-dump move to get under the first-apron of the luxury tax line, especially after they traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer for financial relief. However, their outlook has reportedly changed with Jaylen Brown leading them to the No. 2 seed in the East, and Jayson Tatum making rapid strides in his injury recovery.