The Boston Celtics currently possess a trade exception after the departure of Gordon Hayward, who was moved via sign and trade with the Charlotte Hornets.

For those who aren’t aware of what a “trade exception” is in basketball, it’s actually pretty simple. According to NBA writer Moke Hamilton and his article on Steven Adam’s trade to New Orleans, a trade exception is: “it’s an exception that will allow a team to trade for a player without sending any salary out in a trade. Trade exceptions are created when a team trades a player to an under-the-cap team and doesn’t take an equal amount of salary back in return.”

Basically, Boston can use this trade exception by trading for a player without sending any assets or salary over to the other team. That’s the beauty of trade exceptions.

Personally, I’d love to see the Celtics use this trade exception at the trade deadline, in hopes that they can contend for the title. After an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons, it’s clear they need a no. 3 scorer to pair with Tatum and Brown while Kemba nurses his knee injury. Down below are some names I feel can really boost Boston’s chances this year in contending with Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Miami this season.

Buddy Hield

Buddy Hield, 28, is a shooting guard for the Sacramento Kings. His name has been floating around in trade rumors to Boston for a few months now, and I think his fit would be great here.

Since being drafted in 2016, Hield has been famously known as one of the deadly sharpshooters in today’s NBA. It has been reported in the past that he’s shown his displeasure with the Kings, mainly due to his role.

In come Boston.

Hield would be an automatic starter for the Celtics, and could be utilized as a floor spacer who can knock down the 3 consistently at a high clip (41% for his career behind the arc), which would cause tons of issues for other teams. A Walker-Hield-Brown-Tatum 1-4 lineup would be deadly. Also, Hield can serve as a mentor to someone like Celtics rookie Aaron Nesmith, who, like Hield, is a sharpshooter.

Hield to Boston would make a lot of sense in both financial terms and team fit. I think he’d really enjoy his time here for a more responsible role here.

John Collins

John Collins, 23, would be another good fit here in Boston.

Like Hield, it’s been reported in the past that he’s shown his displeasure with his team. For Collins, he’s looking for a max deal, which, to me, Atlanta may feel he’s too expensive to keep.

Collins is a 6’9 scoring big who can attack the rim at ease. He can score very efficiently at high clip, and has shown he can knock down the 3 if needed. Collins reminds me a lot of what Amar’e Stoudemire was back in Phoenix, and also kind of like Blake Griffin when he was on the Clippers. For him to come to the C’s, they’d likely use their trade exception and perhaps throw in a 1st round pick, based on how young Collins is and what his ceiling could be.

In my opinion, with Collins here, he’d be the most skilled big man Boston has had since Kevin Garnett (Yes, that includes Al Horford).

He’d likely slide over to the 4 spot, which then the lineup would look like: Kemba, Brown, Tatum, Collins, and Thompson. Boston would have their new big 3 of the future with Brown, Tatum, and Collins, and I really think he’s someone to invest in with this trade exception. He’s worth trading for. Even if you have to throw in a 1st round pick.

Aaron Gordon

The last player I think on this list Boston should look into trading for is Aaron Gordon.

Gordon, 25, was drafted 2 picks before Marcus Smart back in 2014. Since then, he’s spent his entire career in Orlando (I’m so sorry Aaron), and a new situation may be what’s best for the guy.

Gordon is famous in the league for being a high flying dunking extraordinaire. He can score in short spurts, and can defend at a good level. His numbers shouldn’t scare you, even if they’re low. Gordon has tremendous upside, and a new team may be exactly what he needs. Orlando hasn’t figured it out with their rebuild for almost a decade now, barely making the playoffs in recent years. With a more cultured and playoff experienced Celtics team, Gordon could thrive here. It should also be noted that Ainge was eyeing Gordon prior to drafting Smart, so it’s obvious Ainge likes him.

The C’s don’t have to use this exception this year, but with how the strong the rest of the conference looks, it may force Danny Ainge to strike a move.