The Boston Celtics have emerged as the “Beast of the East” through the first four weeks of the 2017-18 NBA season. Behind top-notch defense and Kyrie Irving’s clutch performances, the Celtics have racked up 14 victories in a row, including a statement win against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

But the Celtics aren’t the only team turning heads in what’s shaping to be a brutally competitive Atlantic Division. The Philadelphia 76ers are speeding up “the Process” behind the stellar plays of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Toronto Raptors are still finding their ways with a more balanced offense, while the New York Knicks are proving doubters wrong by going above .500 a month into the season.

Projected cellar-dwellers, the Brooklyn Nets, aren’t pushovers either as they scored big wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Yet, there are still loopholes each of these teams needs to fill before they reach their full potential. The season is just starting to heat up but there are already plenty of activities happening on the trading front. The free agency pool, while lacking potential game-changing players, still features talents that could provide depth to any of these ball clubs. In the NBA, there’s never a time too early to make a move. With that, here are the best available deals or trades for each Atlantic Division teams.

Boston Celtics

Best trade or deal: Use $8.4 million disabled player exemption money for either Nerlens Noel of Dallas Mavericks or Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics, who also lead the league in rebounding at 47 rpg, rely on gang rebounding and excellent perimeter defense to offset their thin frontline and the absence of a legit rim protector. Defensive-oriented Noel would be an intriguing trade target at a reasonable price. The same could be said for Okafor, who is an all-offense big man.

A second-round pick or heavily protected first rounder could be enough to salvage Noel or Okafor.

Philadelphia 76ers

Best trade or deal: Trade Okafor for an insurance big man on expiring contract. Despite Okafor’s status, the Sixers aren’t rushing in trading him because they view him as protection net in case Joel Embiid suffers a major injury.

Greg Monroe’s salary ($17 million) is sizable but the Sixers can pull off a deal for him by sending a package of Okafor ($4 million) and Jerryd Bayless ($9 million) with a future second rounder to the Phoenix Suns. Monroe proved to be a steady backup during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks. Moreover, his expiring deal will create an addition $17 million in the Sixers' cap space, giving them the means to chase for a max-level free agent next summer.

Toronto Raptors

Best trade or deal: Move Jonas Valanciunas now. It sounds crazy yet trading the lumbering center this early in the season gives the Raptors enough time to adjust and compete for a playoff spot. Toronto is facing the prospect of paying an enormous amount of tax bill after locking up DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Norman Powell to lucrative deals.

Valanciunas ($15.4 million) has been a big part of the Raptors identity, but trading him now and moving a floor-stretching Ibaka to the center spot makes the Raps look more like a modern NBA team.

New York Knicks

Best trade or deal: Move Kyle O’Quinn for a second rounder. The obvious wish of every Knicks fan is to unload Joakim Noah’s onerous contract. However, it’s going to be a challenge for general manager Scott Perry to find a taker for the big man. On the other hand, O’Quinn is playing an efficient basketball in a backup role, averaging 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16 minutes per game. Teams would love to have a high-character, low-maintenance guy like O’Quinn, so moving him would be easy for the Knicks.

Brooklyn Nets

Best trade or deal: Start shopping Trevor Booker. The veteran forward is in the final year of his contract worth $9 million. While it’s going to be hard selling him to other teams given his limited skills-set, he can still be valuable for teams looking to make a huge shopping spree in the summer of 2018. Perhaps, the Nets could work on another salary dump deal with the Lakers, and this time a high-upside player like Julius Randle could be on the table.
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