Breaking down 3 Steven Adams trades the Boston Celtics can make
Addressing the backup point guard situation
Our final deal sees the Boston Celtics add a veteran point guard for the backup role currently occupied by the inexperienced Carsen Edwards. His development is obviously a priority, but trusting him for extended minutes in the postseason is a daunting thought at the moment.
Edwards is having a tough time catching up to speed to the NBA game. His shooting slashes are ghastly; he holds a 31% field goal percentage and an even worse 25% from beyond the arc. He is likely giving Danny Ainge pause after the Purdue product signed a long-term deal with the team.
Now, his salary is movable, but why even fret that much at this point? He needs time to grow. That time just shouldn’t come in April, May or (especially) June.
This deal sends help in the form of seven-year pro Dennis Schroeder. The German point guard is currently enjoying a career-high field goal percentage (of course, small sample size) but is no longer shooting 14 or more shots per game like the last few years of his career. No longer a starting-caliber point guard on a team with win-now aspirations, Schroeder is settling into his role on a Thunder team that would benefit more from the ball being in either Gilgeous-Alexander’s or Chris Paul‘s hands.
Which is perfect if he ever became a member of the Boston Celtics. Schroeder can’t take the ball out of Walker, Brown, Tatum or Smart’s hands. He can help run the pick-and-roll with the second unit (imagine the Schroeder and Robert Williams alley-oop connection) but under no circumstance would he close games.
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As a sixth man, he would be a perfect compliment to the Walker-Smart-Brown-Tatum-Adams starting lineup. It’d be much more comforting to roll Schroeder out in playoff lineups than to have Edwards running the show. Plus, his $15 million cap figure for 2020-21 could be used as trade bait along with the Memphis pick if it doesn’t convert in 2020.