Boston Celtics: 2 blockbuster trades involving Chris Paul

Locked On Celtics’ podcast host and Masslive reporter John Karalis floated the possibility of the Boston Celtics trading Kemba Walker for Chris Paul. Here are 2 Houdini-approved deals involving CP3 and the Cs.

The idea of Chris Paul wearing Boston Celtics green and white is not a new one. In 2011, the popular thinking was flipping Rajon Rondo for the then-top point guard in the association would be the perfect anecdote to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh forming a super-team in Miami.

My co-editor and resident Rondo enthusiast Mark Nilon has even admitted in the past that a Paul-Celtics union would have been electric:

"However, having said all that, it must be stated that, while Rondo was a great point guard in his prime, by no means was he the type of player Chris Paul ever was. The fourth overall pick from the 2005 NBA Draft has etched himself into the conversation as one of the 10 greatest point guards of all time. Boasting career averages of 18.5 points, 9.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from downtown, Paul has accumulated accolades such a 10 All-Star eight All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive selections, six NBA steals leader champion, four-time league leader in assists and an All-Star Game MVP award. Had they traded for him, the Boston Celtics would have rolled out a starting-five consisting of the likes of Paul, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and, presumably, Kendrick Perkins. With this reportedly being a realistic scenario, it very well could be one of the greatest “what ifs” in NBA history."

Maybe the ol’ “better late than never” tagline could come into play here. Though Paul is 35 years old, he’s still an All-Star that brought his team to within one game of the Western Conference semifinals. That his Oklahoma City Thunder were even close to having home-court in the playoffs is a testament to his greatness this past season. Oh, so was his 17/7/5 averages with 49/36/90 shooting splits.

With current starting point guard Kemba Walker experiencing troubling injury woes in the first year of his four-year max contract, perhaps swapping for two years of Paul–an elite table-setter and someone who can potentially further elevate Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown–isn’t the worst idea even at this stage of his career given his current level of play.

Locked On Celtics podcast host and Masslive reporter John Karalis brought up the idea on his latest epsiode. We’re rolling with it.

So with that in mind, the Houdini has put together 2 separate deals involving Chris Paul and the Boston Celtics: