Last night’s close loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was one that could end up being transformational for the Boston Celtics franchise in all of the worst ways.
The most noteworthy development was easily Marcus Smart’s non-contact leg injury that knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter:
Marcus Smart is headed to the locker room with an apparent leg injury. pic.twitter.com/jSKq2ylz4S
— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2021
The injury was of the non-contact variety…which is never a good sign for a player who is unable to put weight on that foot, per SI.com:
"During the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart left with an injury to his left calf. The injury occurred while Smart was looking to get in position for a rebound, though he made minimal contact with Lakers center Montrezl Harrell. Smart was taken to the Celtics locker room and could put no weight on his left leg, according to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. Smart played 26 minutes of the game, with four points, seven assists and two steals."
Smart’s injury could seriously put a damper on the C’s chances of competing for an NBA Championship this season, but that’s not the only oppositional force to another banner in “Title Town”.
Another is Kemba Walker, who has brought poor shooting, minimal defense, and mid-level contributions while earning max-contract money.
1-12 from the floor, a plus/minus of -8 (worst among all starters), and four points.
All for an annual value of $34 million.
This was the bright lights, the big stage. Walker needed to show up after questions about his fit as the third wheel arose in the wake of the Celtics’ 2-4 record since his return.
But we got this.
The Houdini has been concocting Walker trades for several weeks now because bad knees and a contract ascending in value is almost never good for the team that is cutting the checks on said contract.
Never have I wanted to explore what returns he can generate as I do now, though. Of course, it is nothing personal, since Walker is one of the…but basketball is a business, and business is not booming in Beantown right now.
Today, HH presents three trade packages to send the struggling point guard to a team that can better use his talents: the Los Angeles Clippers:
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Face it, Boston Celtics fans: your “franchise” point guard is morphing into an albatross before our very eyes. Now, granted, that doesn’t mean Walker’s value is completely diminished.
But it’s fair to expect a return that isn’t headlined by a star or even inclusive of a draft pick. Instead, the Cs could acquire an entire bench, with pieces that could all play complementary roles.
Patrick Beverley could serve as the new agitator if Smart’s injury is serious (Lord, please let it not be), while Serge Ibaka could bring the rim-protecting and shooting Daniel Theis provides mostly in theory.
Ivica Zubac is another big body in the frontcourt whose been historically far more durable than Robert Williams, while Luke Kennard–Jayson Tatum’s college teammate at Duke–could provide another 3-point sharpshooter alongside Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard in the second unit.
Why the Los Angeles Clippers do it
A Kemba Walker-Paul George-Kawhi Leonard trio would be one hell of a response to the #ScaryHours trifecta recently formed in Brooklyn. With Robert Williams replacing Zubac and Ibaka in the frontcourt, the team would add a rim-running lob threat to modernize the offense.
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Bringing on Victor Oladipo in a trade sending out Kemba Walker would be a major victory for the Boston Celtics defense. The six-foot-one Walker has long been ineffective dealing with being switched onto opposing wings, and the Los Angeles Lakers continually hunted for the mismatch that would land Walker on LeBron James/Anthony Davis/Kyle Kuzma/etc.
Olapdipo would not be as easily pushed around, although he would certainly need to be reined in on the offensive side of the ball given his sub-30% shooting from the 3-point line in a cartoonish eight attempts and his near-three turnovers per game.
Like the last deal, Serge Ibaka would be brought on, this time to replace Daniel Theis. In Ibaka, the Cs would have a true power forward to pair with Tristan Thompson but the optimal crunchtime lineup would be an Oladipo-Smart-Brown-Tatum-Ibaka quintet…assuming Smart can recover from his injury.
Why the Los Angeles Clippers do it
Like the last deal, Kemba Walker is the draw, but P.J. Tucker would be a deployable frontcourt body off the bench, and Ben McLemore would provide shooting in the wake of Lou Williams’ departure.
This deal would likely be followed up with a big man free agent signing to replenish big man depth.
Why the Houston Rockets do it
At this point, Christian Wood is the player the Houston Rockets need to build around–if they so choose to build around anyone currently on the roster. Oladipo is a goner after the season (barring a miraculous run) and P.J. Tucker is likely the next remnant of the Mike D’Antoni era to be shipped off.
This package brings back several tradeable assets (Williams, Beverley, Theis, Zubac) while further restocking the draft cupboard.
Luke Kennard could be a long-term asset or another key to furthering the team’s rebuild. The rest (Edwards, Green) are essentially roster filler.