Boston Celtics: 2 Tristan Thompson Charlotte Hornets trades

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Brad Stevens experimented with having a more traditional two-big lineup at the beginning of the season as opposed to deploying Jayson Tatum at the 4. Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis shared the floor together, and the early returns were less than stellar.

When Theis was traded at the deadline, the hope was that reverting back to going small would yield the same results as the Cs got last season when they were a top five team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

That did not happen. Instead, Boston went 9-9 following the Theis trade when Thompson was on the floor. With Robert Williams proving to be the answer at the 5, Thompson is expendable heading into his final year under contract.

Using his expiring and a future lottery protected first to bring on a reliable contributor–and someone Stevens would love for Grant Williams to have become–in P.J. Washington would give the Cs a cost-controlled option for two years that will have a chance to grow alongside the Jays moving forward.

Why the Charlotte Hornets do it

It was close but no cigar for the Hornets in 2020-21. Their first foray beyond the regular season since 2016 ended in a single elimination NBA Play-in loss and a trip to the draft lottery. The lack of a true center could have been the culprit, so adding Thompson in lieu of giving impending free agent Cody Zeller a raise could be a prudent move.

Dealing away Washington also affords Miles Bridges more minutes at the 4 with Gordon Hayward taking most of the minutes at small forward.