Boston Celtics: 3 trades for likeliest Cs to be dealt

Why the Boston Celtics do it

At this point in the 2020-21 campaign, it is fair to say that Zach LaVine has surpassed Kemba Walker in terms of production on the court. LaVine is scoring 27 points (on 50/39/86 splits) while collecting five assists and five rebounds, which are benchmarks Walker has never reached.

Lauri Markkanen is similarly having a career-best season, with 19 points and seven rebounds on 40% efficiency from the 3-point line. That’s elite shooting for a big-man.

Thaddeus Young is a nice utility hand to deploy as a small-ball big, and Cristiano Felicio is a big physical body the team can strategically match up against bulkier frontcourts with.

Why the Chicago Bulls do it

Chicago has seen big improvements from their core in 2020-21, but if the season ended today, they wouldn’t be one in any of the seven locked-in playoff spots, and through tiebreakers, wouldn’t even qualify for the postseason at all.

Granted, it’s early on in the campaign, but the Bulls have failed to get it done with this core for as long as LaVine and Markkanen have been in Chi-Town.

Getting a franchise point guard in Walker (who has a tristate NY connection with head coach Billy Donovan) could help to change the immediate direction of the franchise.

That it could come with a 2019 lottery pick (Langford) and several future firsts makes this a palatable deal for both sides.