Following the acquisition of James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets are lacking depth–especially at the center spot–and the Boston Celtics could solve that problem with a Daniel Thies trade.
The Eastern Conference undoubtedly shifted this past week when the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets. While the Boston Celtics were on Harden’s list of preferred destinations, they didn’t meet the exorbitant asking price the Rockets had for their 3x reigning scoring champion.
Ultimately, the Nets sacrificed their future for a shot at glory in the next two years with their new superstar trio.
Where have I heard about Brooklyn mortgaging their draft stock for aging veterans? Oh, yea, when they did this exact thing eight years ago in a deal for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
To be fair, it is different this time. Harden is better than Pierce and Garnett were, but the cost for him destroyed the Nets’ depth…which the Billy King disaster of 2013 did not.
In particular, the center position is shallower than a kiddie pool as my co-editor Mark Nilon would say. Jarrett Allen’s departure will have a grave impact on the team’s big-man rotation. DeAndre Jordan is no longer a full-time starter.
With Mike D’Antoni in tow to oversee the offense, deploying Kevin Durant or Jeff Green at the 5 is possible, but the better bet is to address this center issue.
The Boston Celtics come into play as a team with a surplus of big men with Tristan Thompson in tow and the Robert Williams/Tacko Fall duo looking playable off the bench.
Here are 2 Daniel Theis-Brooklyn Nets trades:
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Swapping out Daniel Theis’ poor fit as a power forward in the starting lineup for a player that can better fit the modern mold of a 4 (Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot) and a pair of defensively focused wings (Bruce Brown, Troy Brown) would better balance the Boston Celtics lineup around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
I also cannot resist have three players with “Brown” on the back of their jerseys. It would be a fun and confusing conundrum moving forward.
Why the Brooklyn Nets do it
As I was explaining before, the Nets need big men to play in all of the minutes DeAndre Jordan can’t handle playing at the 5. Theis has experience playing with Kyrie Irving, and should provide adequate screens to enable the Irving-Harden-Durant trio to thrive.
Davis Bertans is less versatile than Joe Harris, but he could play small-ball 5 at times with Durant and Jeff Green on the floor.
Why the Washington Wizards do it
Joe Harris is an upgrade from Bertans at a similar value, and he fits the timeline of a young rebuilding team (unless Bradley Beal can turn this thing around of course).
He would also be returning to the region he dominated as a former All-ACC first-teamer.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Joe Harris is an ideal fit in the Boston Celtics lineup for many reasons. An unselfish gunner, Harris has the ability to run the fastbreak and finish in transition, but his greatest strengths lie in his incredible shooting numbers.
Harris hasn’t shot below 42% from beyond the arc in any of the last 3 seasons. In 2018-19, he somehow shot 47% with D’Angelo Russell as the focal point of the offense. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown absorbing most of the attention–and being more willing to share than what Harris left behind–Harris would feast in green and white off the bench or starting on the wing.
Why the Brooklyn Nets do it
Like the last deal, Brooklyn ends up with the Theis-Bertans duo. They’d be giving up a few more role players in this deal, but the Nets figure to be players in the buyout market anyway.
Why the Washington Wizards do it
Washington is all but out of contention already in the Eastern Conference, and their best bet would be to sell their pieces (like Bradley Beal) and look to the future. Picking up a late first-rounder from the Boston Celtics likely won’t set up their future, but it’s the possible beginning of a mindset shift for the Wizards.