Boston Celtics: 2 trade packages to nab Elfrid Payton from Knicks

The acquisition of Derrick Rose for the New York Knicks creates a swarm of follow-up questions for not only the Empire State’s lesser basketball outfit but for the Boston Celtics as well.

Those questions don’t revolve around the idea of how the Cs are going to stop the former MVP–who is a shell of the 2010-11 version of himself who thrived as the lead dog on the Chicago Bulls–but instead on whether or not Danny Ainge should engage Leon Rose on a follow-up deal.

The Knicks may not be done dealing, and according to Bleacher Report, fellow floor general Elfrid Payton may be on the trade block following the latest Rose-Knicks transaction:

"After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Knicks traded Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round draft pick to the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Rose, Ian Begley of SNY reported “at least one team in playoff contention has shown interest in Elfrid Payton.” Payton started Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat, but there will be less need for him following the Rose trade. In addition to the veteran Rose, New York can turn toward Austin Rivers and Immanuel Quickley to handle the ball. Quickley, who was the No. 25 overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft, has been a pleasant surprise for the Knicks this season with his ability to provide an immediate boost off the bench."

I’d like to think Ainge was the general manager from the playoff contender that called due to Jeff Teague’s regression in 2020-21. Not only that, Kemba Walker is a perennial risk to miss a game here and there, and giving Payton Pritchard a large workload in his rookie season isn’t an ideal scenario.

If he was, here are two potential deals the two sides can discuss for the Boston Celtics to acquire Elfrid Payton in a deal: