Boston Celtics: Last-second trade package for Lonzo Ball

The fireworks have already begun to shoot off for this year’s trade deadline and it appears the Boston Celtics are right in the thick of things in regard to negotiations.

All month we’ve been hearing rumblings about how the shamrocks could make a splash at this year’s deadline and, with their sub-.500 record of 21-23, they may need to if they wish to get their season back on track.

While many anticipate that a trade for Orlando Magic big man Aaron Gordon could be the right move to make, as the Cs are seemingly in need of some bolstering within the frontcourt, we at the Houdini have another player in mind that we believe could be just as impactful, and who could be acquired at a lesser cost.

That man: Lonzo Ball

The Boston Celtics should strongly consider trading for Lonzo Ball

We get it — for the past two seasons, one of the biggest areas of weakness within the rotation for the Boston Celtics has been at the pivot. Because of this, we’ve seen countless bigs linked to the franchise as viable trade targets.

However, with Robert Williams III finally healthy he is showing just how impactful he can be when manning the middle. With this, one could certainly argue that the Cs already have a long-term answer at center with Time Lord.

What they don’t have is a player who can properly serve as a facilitator and floor general which, when actually watching the game, it would appear such a talent would be of great benefit to this stagnant Celtics offense.

Ball would be the ideal target, both for the now and for the future.

Tabbed as having the ‘highest basketball IQ’ in the entire league by NBA legend Magic Johnson, the point guard is finding himself in the midst of a career year, posting averages of 14.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and just over half a block on 43 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from deep.

With his desire to push the ball on fast breaks, this underwhelming team would easily get an up-tempo spark in Ball who can easily find the open man and knock down shots on offense while also having the ability to get back on defense and simply excel with his stupendous versatility due to his size (6-6) and quickness.

A potential trade offer for the fourth-year guard could read as follows:

The Boston Celtics would land a 23-year-old point guard in Ball to pair with this young core group of players, while the Pelicans rid of a player they were rumored to not be interested in re-signing anyway in exchange for a couple of players picked in the lottery of the last two drafts, a first-round pick in 2023, and a top-16 protected first-rounder in 2025.

Whether NOLA accepts the offer is one thing but, if we’re Trader Danny, we’re offering this package for the young floor general.