Boston Celtics: 3 bench-bolstering offseason Gordon Hayward trades

The Boston Celtics starting lineup buoyed the team throughout the entire postseason, with Gordon Hayward conspicuous by his absence. In lieu of that, here are 3 trades that retool the Cs second unit.

This offseason is one that is very different from the usual one. It is in November. We also don’t know when teams can trade again…but when they can, the Boston Celtics need to finally find the right deal for Gordon Hayward.

Considering the success the Cs had in the postseason down in the Lake Buena Vista bubble without him, perhaps the first thing to consider is strengthening the second unit, given Marcus Smart’s ascent into the starting lineup for the second season in a row.

Here are 3 deals that target that very goal:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Well, in addition to building the bench, the Cs upgrade the center position with Myles Turner in our first deal. Dennis Schroder is in the conversation with Spencer Dinwiddie for the best backup point guard in the league and would add a new element to the second unit offensively.

Jeremy Lamb is the cherry on top of the trade proceedings for Boston.

Why the Indiana Pacers do it

Indy has been hot on the tail of Gordon Hayward seemingly all season, being linked to the 2017 All-Star on numerous occasions. If the Circle City can also add Steven Adams for cheap, the Pacers would suddenly have a top tier starting lineup on both ends of the floor.

Why the Oklahoma City Thunder do it

Taking on Victor Oladipo in the final year of his contract to team up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and (if not traded) Chris Paul would be an exciting prospect for OKC. Oladipo has improved leaps and bounds since his one-season stint on the Thunder in 2016-17. The true draw of this deal is the influx of youth (Goga Bitadze, Robert Williams, Aaron Holiday, Carsen Edwards) and three draft picks in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.