Boston Celtics: 2 Kemba Walker-Myles Turner trade packages

The 2020-21 Boston Celtics season is a sinking ship that has torpedoed since the return of Kemba Walker to the lineup.

I’m not dense. It’s not all his fault. Marcus Smart’s injury has not helped matters, while inconsistent rotations due to COVID-19 positive tests have butchered the potential to form a rapport with the whole lineup. He wasn’t even in the lineup for last night’s 15-point blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Still, it’s hard not to point at Walker’s rising salary over the next two seasons after this one and not be perturbed that his return hasn’t elevated the team to the level a max contract player should.

While Walker remains one of the most exciting players to watch perform on the floor–with his controlled-yet-chaotic dives to the rim still capable of producing some of the most feel-good highlights in today’s game–there are situations around the league that would bring out more positives in his game than Boston could at this point.

The team has a potential next man up in Payton Pritchard, who has exceeded expectations in a big way in his rookie year. Marcus Smart could also reprise his role in the starting five as the de-facto 1 while sharing playmaking duties with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

W-alker, meanwhile, could escape a Boston market that expects consistent contention and serve a more important role in a different lineup. Remember, he was the Summer 2019 All-NBA signing that was usurped in shot attempts by Jayson Tatum by season’s after injuries took him out of the lineup last February.

He could play less of a role elsewhere and be less of a scapegoat on a team with postseason goals a tad less gaudy than Boston’s.

Today, Indiana is the target landing spot for Walker and Myles Turner is the primary target the Cs should target in return: