Boston Celtics: 2 blockbuster trades involving Chris Paul
Landing the point-god
The first deal is a godfather. It may even be the godfather’s godfather. Boston would land the point-god himself, as well as a new starting center in Steven Adams and a bench backcourt pair of Dennis Schroeder and Kevin Huerter.
The Atlanta Hawks would bring on the starting Cs trio of Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Daniel Theis. Oklahoma City’s haul would include a whopping four first-round picks, Clint Capela, DeAndre Hunter, Dewayne Dedmon, Bruno Fernando, Romeo Langford, and Carsen Edwards.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Landing Chris Paul and Steven Adams alone would give the Celtics the best starting lineup in the NBA. Try coming up with a more fearsome defensive fivesome than a Chris Paul-Marcus Smart-Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum-Steven Adams troupe. You didn’t…and you are lying to yourself if you think you did.
Giving up three first-round picks and two 2019 draftees for a capable bench backcourt of Dennis Schroder and Kevin Huerter is wired thinking for a team with 2021 NBA Championship ambitions.
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder do it
The Thunder are on a roll collecting first-round picks for their aging and exorbitant contracts. That trend began in earnest last summer when they cashed in on over 10 total draft picks for a Russell Westbrook-Paul George pairing that never made it out of the first round.
It could continue here with a haul that includes two 2020 lottery picks and two late firsts from the Cs and Hawks. Clint Capela would slide into Steven Adams’ starting spot, while DeAndre Hunter would become a pillar for their rebuild like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been. Dewayne Dedmon is a fine backup who can be flipped later for other assets, while the team figures to unearth at least one gem of the sophomore bunch of Romeo Langford, Bruno Fernando, and Carsen Edwards.
Why the Atlanta Hawks do it
After several seasons in the basement of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks can burst back into relevancy by surrounding Trae Young with three starters from a top-five team on both the offensive and defensive end.
While it would cost their lottery pick this season, they wouldn’t be betting the ranch to form a potential starting five of Trae Young-Kemba Walker-Gordon Hayward-John Collins-Daniel Theis.