Grade the Trade: Boston Celtics give up major assets for gamble at point guard
A mock trade proposal from Fadeaway World’s Lee Tran would see the Boston Celtics give up major assets like Robert Williams III and Payton
Pritchard to acquire Kevin Porter Jr. from the Houston Rockets as well as a Miami Heat second-round pick via the Dallas Mavericks — this all in a
four-team blockbuster aimed at taking a risk for a “relatively low cost.”
“This deal means the Boston Celtics would be taking a risk on Kevin Porter Jr.’s talent for a relatively low cost,” Tran prefaced before saying, “His
ability makes it worth it, and he could be the missing piece for them to win a championship.”
The full cost, per Dallas Basketball’s Dalton Trigg, is as follows:
“Dallas Mavericks Receive: Buddy Hield, Robert Williams. Boston Celtics Receive: Kevin Porter Jr., 2028 Second-Round Pick (MIA via DAL). Indiana Pacers Receive: Christian Wood, Payton Pritchard. Houston Rockets Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green.”
To contradict a point Tran made, there is a major cost in the aforementioned trade scenario: two of the best assets Boston has to get better and
continue to add talent around a win-now roster of Supermax contract-holder Jaylen Brown, soon-to-be-Supermax contract-holder Jayson Tatum,
and recently-extended marquee offseason trade addition Kristaps Porzingis. But how does the actual return grade out?
Trade grade for the Boston Celtics: C-
Williams was part of the NBA’s best lineup two seasons ago, and that lineup had a critical run during the C’s 2023 postseason second-round matchup
against the Philadelphia 76ers; a series that went seven games. Losing him robs the lineup of the frontcourt riches Brad Stevens traded for when he
landed Porzingis. Pritchard is more expendable, but he is a more efficient backcourt option than Porter.
This brings the Houdini to the meat and potatoes of the explanation for the low grade of Tran’s four-team proposal: there’s too much risk and likely
not enough reward. Porter is not a championship talent at this point in his career, and the Celtics need as many championship-caliber role players as
possible. Porter is at a point in his career where he needs plenty of trial-and-error opportunities, but Boston can’t be letting their championship
window close by bringing such a player along.
Analyst predicts Boston Celtics trade offer for two-time MVP
Brown and several future first-round draft picks if the former two-time regular season MVP and 2021 Finals MVP ever hit the market.
“The Celtics signed Jaylen Brown to the richest contract in NBA history this summer,” Mathur prefaced before saying, “To acquire a talent like
Antetokounmpo, Boston would have to part ways with Brown and several future draft picks.”
Antetokounmpo likely wouldn’t covet a move to the Celtics given his previously stated interest in teaming with Steph Curry. Boston has often been
the Milwaukee Bucks’ biggest roadblock in the postseason, with the 2018 and 2022 series springing to mind. 2019, of course, went the other way
because of a certain polarizing point guard overdribbling into difficult hero-ball attempts. Still, if he were to be pursued, it feels like Jayson Tatum
would have to be the Jay offered in a proposal from the C’s front office.
The Boston Celtics are all in on the present
Any Antetokounmpo talk is a pure distraction from the task at hand for the Boston Celtics with Kristaps Porzingis now in tow: Banner 18. In handing
the reins of the offense over to the efficient Derrick White and adding a third isolation scoring threat in Porzingis, the C’s front office looked to make
the final leap into title-winner after flirting with the Larry O’Brien Trophy for five of the last seven seasons with at least an Eastern Conference Finals
appearance.
If that doesn’t look like it’s getting done by the trade deadline, the Bucks would have to be equally as bearish on their future. Then there’d have to be a
formal request from Antentokounmpo that explicitly includes Boston. That’s hardly a given since it’s been since Kyrie Irving that the Celtics were
included on a major name’s trade list.
Bottom line: don’t get lost chasing stars that may not be needed to bring the team back to a glory that hasn’t been felt in a decade and a half and
counting.
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