It’s unclear how many first-round picks would be needed to get this deal done, but it’ll be at least two. The Celtics have their own first-round pick every year through 2028, so they certainly have the draft capital to offer.
The question is, would the Houston Rockets be interested in Kemba Walker? Dealing with a chronic knee injury, one has to wonder if his best days are behind him. Kemba would have to learn to share the backcourt with John Wall, but he has proved that he can play off the ball in a successful team environment all of last year
That has the potential to be one of the best backcourts in the league, but there will most definitely be a learning curve. A Houston core of Walker, Wall, Christian Wood, Romeo Langford, and Robert Williams a team that can compete for the play-in game in the stacked Western Conference. The Rockets ownership has been reluctant to undergo a total rebuild, and this trade with the Celtics would keep them relevant for the near future.
The Walker-Wall duo would give the team two point guards, but Houston has been known to make the talent fit…just last season they utilized their wings as hybrid forwards in small-ball lineups. Creativity, even if Mike D’Antoni is no longer the head coach, is a Rockets specialty.