Aiming higher for the #6 pick
The second deal is a swap with the Atlanta Hawks that would bring Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish to Boston. In addition to Hayward, Romeo Langford would also be headed down south for the winter.
The two teams would exchange first-round picks, with the Celtics acquiring the #6 pick for the rights to the #14 and #26 picks.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
I’ll say this once more for those in the back: a Hayward trade return does not have to include a big salary or a player who will step into the starting lineup right away. Remember, the starting lineup of Kemba Walker-Marcus Smart-Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum-Daniel Theis came within two games of the NBA Finals.
This deal adds two young guns with potentially sky-high ceilings in Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish. With Trae Young in town and John Collins set to collect a royal contract extension and increased touches on offense along with it, Huerter and Reddish may be better off growing on a well-run second unit playing for a contender than becoming overly reliant on Young setting them up.
Why the Atlanta Hawks do it
Atlanta is likely to want to shift from rebuilding to contending for the postseason sooner rather than later, so making a move for a player like Hayward who has the capability of sliding in comfortably to their lineup is a smart one.
Sending away two players who didn’t seem to click in Atlanta last season should be seen as cutting losses rather than squandering potential since the Huerter-Reddish pair could very well never take off trying to develop for a team that clearly lacked cohesion in 2019-20.
Adding an additional first-round pick to move back six picks is just the cherry on top of this deal for the ATL.
Next. 3 centers to target with the MLE. dark