Boston Celtics: 2 Gordon Hayward trades to land a new starting center

Trading Hayward to acquire Jusuf Nurkic

The second deal goes in a different direction, as the Dallas Mavericks swoop in to acquire Gordon Hayward (as well as Nassir Little). Boston acquires Jusuf Nurkic as the new starting center, while also adding the backcourt duo of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry and the Portland Trailblazers end up with a rebuilding package of Justin Jackson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Daniel Theis, and three first-round picks.

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Giving up Hayward should absolutely result in the Cs sprucing up their bench in addition to acquiring a new starting center. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry are two of the best players possible to acquire that wouldn’t immediately step into a starting role, while Jusuf Nurkic would obviously be the center of the future for the Cs.

Why the Portland Trailblazers do it

Jusuf Nurkic had an incredible postseason, but if they feel his value has peaked, they can find a low-cost replacement for him in Daniel Theis, while also adding two valuable defensively adaptable wings in Justin Jackson and Dorian Finney-Smith to help improve the third-worst team in defensive efficiency across the association. Three late first-rounders is the cherry on top.

Bleacher Report recently had the Blazers as a team that can land Hayward, but the more likely result would be them facilitating a deal like this one.

Why the Dallas Mavericks do it

We have covered Hayward being the third star in Dallas for a long time, and I maintain how much of a fit he would be as the third wheel in a Mavericks offense that doesn’t need a 20-point per game scorer, but rather a do-it-all switch-army-knife to counteract Luka Doncic’s all-encompassing floor generalship and Kristaps Porzingis’ floor-spacing and defensive aptitude.