Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently buzzed about trade targets
By Mark Nilon
Buzzed about Boston Celtics target No. 1) Dejounte Murray
First up on the docket we have a highly talented young point guard prospect in Dejounte Murray.
The former 29th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Murray has been through many ups and downs throughout his four-year stint in the league, ranging from an All-Defensive Second-Team selection in 2018 to missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season due to a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.
Despite this roller coaster of a young career, the Washington product managed to turn 2019-20 into his best season yet. Playing in 66 games, Murray posted solid all-around averages of 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep in 25.6 minutes per game.
In regard to his fit on the Boston Celtics, Murray would be quite an upgrade at the backup point guard spot behind starter Kemba Walker. With concerns over his knee ailments potentially hindering him for the remainder of his career, finding an insurance policy for the perennial All-Star this offseason should be a must.
The one major gripe we’d have with this hypothetical scenario, however, is that there are likely to be a handful of point guard prospects in this upcoming draft that have similar, or even higher ceilings than that of Murray.
From guys like Killian Hayes and Cole Anthony to even Kira Lewis Jr., Danny Ainge could feasibly find such insurance with one of the team’s 3 upcoming first-round selections, all while giving up zero players in the process — something that obviously would have to be done to acquire the Spurs’ guard.
While we believe Dejounte Murray to be a quality player in this league, it makes little sense for the shamrocks to go after his services considering the position they currently find themselves in.