The Celtics have been linked to a handful of notable big men ahead of next Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

Here’s another: Yves Missi.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto on Wednesday listed Boston as one of the “suitors” for the second-year New Orleans Pelicans center, citing league sources.

Though Missi currently is a backup on one of the NBA’s worst teams, he’s “drawn significant trade interest,” per Scotto’s report, from clubs including the Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors.

The Pelicans reportedly “have signaled that they’d want a first-round pick to consider parting with Missi.”

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Drafted 21st overall out of Baylor in 2024, Missi started 67 games as a rookie before 2025 first-rounder Derik Queen leapfrogged him on the depth chart. Listed at 6-foot-11, the 21-year-old has averaged 11.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per 36 minutes in his career.

Missi is an effective shot-blocker and offensive rebounder — among players with at least 500 minutes played this season, only Mitchell Robinson, Steven Adams, Andre Drummond and Donovan Clingan are averaging more offensive boards per 36 than Missi’s 5.7 — and the 12-37 Pelicans are 9.7 points better per 100 possessions with him on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. He’s also on an affordable rookie-scale contract ($3.4 million salary this season; $3.6 million next season) and is under team control through 2027-28.

Acquiring frontcourt help looked like a priority for the Celtics entering the season, but their low-cost stable of centers has exceeded expectations, with Neemias Queta emerging as a quality starter and Luka Garza as a productive backup. Second-round rookie Amari Williams also has seen increased playing time of late, though he struggled in Wednesday’s 117-106 loss to Atlanta.

Veteran reserves Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman have hardly played this season; both are potential pre-deadline trade candidates. Scotto reported Boucher, 33, has drawn “exploratory interest” from multiple teams.