Boston Celtics: 3 teams the C’s could engage in trade talks

Brooklyn Nets

As we know, the Brooklyn Nets are a team that Danny Ainge and co. have benefitted from dealing with in the past. It was the infamous Billy King heist of 2013 that set the stage for the current Boston Celtics core.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were both acquired indirectly from that short-sighted deal on Brooklyn’s end, and the Nets have had to pay the price of having a lottery team without the benefit of any lottery picks during a stretch from 2016-2018.

Those three fruitless seasons should be enough for the Nets to not want to go near the Celtics in regards to another deal. That said, their thirst for a third star could lead them to the negotiation table with Boston.

Nets General Manager Sean Marks apparently wants to make a big three with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and a third game-changing talent. He doesn’t view Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert or Jarrett Allen as guys that can do so, putting them on the trade block.

I’ve written about why Dinwiddie in particular would be a target for the C’s:

"If you’re Danny Ainge, perhaps you consider dangling the Memphis Grizzlies 2020 draft pick to acquire a point guard who could immediately step in and be the starter on 2/3 of the teams in the league. Quite frankly, his fit next to Walker–who has proven to be able to defer to his teammates swimmingly in Boston–would be Damian Lillard-CJ McCullom-esque. His timeline also fits nicely with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as a 26-year-old 2014 draft pick. Dinwiddie’s first true season in the league was Brown’s rookie year, but he brings more experience as a journeyman and a veteran, relative to a 21-year-old Tatum at least."

If the Nets want a third star, perhaps Gordon Hayward can scratch that itch. Even though his fit next to Irving hasn’t been perfect in the past, the C’s could trade his production for LeVert, who could slide into his spot, Allen who could compete for the starting center spot, and Dinwiddie.