Boston Celtics: 3 Daniel Theis trades to the Houston Rockets

The Houdini is not letting one big blow-out win deter me from doing what is best for the Boston Celtics.

Trading Daniel Theis is the best move for the Boston Celtics moving forward.

Theis has been on a nice run as of late after starting off the season in a somewhat disastrous fashion. He scored 17 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers last night (to go along with six rebounds) and even scored 23 points (and grabbed 10 rebounds) against Philadelphia last week.

That said, putting so much stock in an embarrassing blowout (embarrassing for Cleveland, that is) and a gaudy performance in a loss is the kind of thing that complacent franchises do with players that hold more sentimental value than actual on-court production.

Theis is a fine option at the center spot. I’m not here to tell you he is anything but a consummate professional and hard-nosed worker on the hardwood.

But this team will never win with him in an expanded role. He was borderline unplayable against the Toronto Raptors and was not enough to contend with Bam Adebayo’s size in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

My war on Theis continues, ladies and gentlemen, and today, I’m sending him to a team that can better use him than Boston: the Houston Rockets.

Now let me explain why that is and who I want the Cs to get in return:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Even though P.J. Tucker is shorter than Daniel Theis, his bulk allows him to similarly play in the paint against opposing frontcourts.

Tucker is worth giving up a draft pick for because of his far superior 3-point shooting (45% compared to Theis’ 32%).

Why the Houston Rockets do it

Houston is short on big men, and Theis’ inclusion in the lineup as a power forward is a lot smoother of a fit on the Rockets than with the Celtics.