Boston Celtics: the one trade to give Memphis their pick back

Using the rumor mill, the Houdini is going to construct the perfect deal to deliver the Memphis Grizzlies their pick back while also improving the chances of winning it all for the Boston Celtics.

On Monday night, Brad Stevens gave the world a hint at what the Boston Celtics playoff rotation might look like. Rotations were shortened, and Marcus Smart shifted over to the backup point guard spot.

While there is a drop-off in talent from the point guard spot when Kemba Walker sits, Stevens seems willing to let Smart pick up the slack in a way that guys like Brad Wanamaker, Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters cannot.

We’ll see how the Smart-at-point guard experiment goes. That it is going at all seems to indicate that there is little worry that the C’s need a backup floor general. With that potential hole filled, a new hole is created on the wing.

Without Smart manning the 2 and 3 spots, there is a deficiency on the perimeter. Semi Ojeleye has proven to be a great defensive specialist capable of knocking down the 3-ball at a respectable rate, but he and Romeo Langford do not make for a winning second unit in 2020.

There is a void that must be filled, and in honor of the Boston Celtics hosting the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, we are going to dive into a hypothetical trade scenario that both honors rumors that the Celtics want a to acquire a wing, and that the Los Angeles Clippers want dormant grizzled veteran Andre Iguodola.

The first component of this deal will focus on the Memphis pick. With the Grizzlies currently sitting in the playoff picture halfway through the season, it is clear that the draft selection is not what the Celtics brass were hoping they’d get when they originally acquired it in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2017.

In this trade scenario, the Grizzlies get their pick back. That is the price paid by shipping off Iguodola. Iggy would be rerouted to the Los Angeles Clippers. Having sat out half the season, L.A. is getting a fresher version of the forward than the one that played the last few seasons with an endless list of nagging injuries for the Golden State Warriors.

In order to obtain the 2015 Finals MVP, the Clippers would have to give up assets in the ballpark of $17 million. That’s where the contracts of Maurice Harkless and JaMychal Green come in. Those two don’t exactly reach the number alone, so salary filler like Patrick Patterson would be sent back to Memphis.

The Boston Celtics would inherit the deals of Harkless and Green. For the price of a draft choice that is free-falling in the draft by the day, the C’s inherit a two-way wing in Harkless and a floor-spacing big in Green. Alone, neither player is worth the price of a pick. That said, both players are a big reason why the Los Angeles Clippers have the highest scoring bench in the league.

Adding over 10 points a game is a big deal in the NBA. Both players could help form a more established second unit with Enes Kanter and Smart. That’s four legitimate NBA rotation players for the team’s title push in 2020.

Now, of course, the missing element in this deal is what the Celtics would be giving up. Unfortunately, due to salary matching purposes, Daniel Theis, Semi Ojeleye, Vincent Poirier, Grant Williams, Brad Wanamaker and JaVonte Green would all be shipped to Memphis. While it would be tough to say goodbye to Theis, he may be a goner this off-season–especially if he thinks he deserves more than his $5 million player option.

Losing Williams also stings, but replacing him with Green in the short-term is a smart move for a team that has the capability to win now. With all of the open roster spots, the Celtics could convert Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall into guaranteed NBA deals and monitor the buyout market for veteran replacements.

Harkless and Green are legitimate NBA players who can–and have–contributed to winning in the playoffs. While losing two first round picks (Williams and the 2020 Memphis pick) seems like a loss, think about how little Williams affects winning in Boston.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are ahead of schedule. Now is the time to make a move. If Iguodola is going to the Clippers, which rumors indicate he plans to, this is the best deal the Boston Celtics could get involved with to  bolster their bench for a title push.

Boston gets: Maurice Harkless, JaMychal Green

Los Angeles gets: Andre Iguodola

Memphis gets: 2020 Memphis Grizzlies first round pick, Daniel Theis, Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye, Vincent Poirier, Brad Wanamaker, Javonte Green, Patrick Patterson