Boston Celtics: 3 mutually beneficial Kemba Walker trades

Why the Boston Celtics do this deal:

The main reason the Celtics would do this deal is adding depth.

A lot of people would agree with me when I say one of the C’s biggest flaws last season was lack of depth, so making a three-for-one deal and gaining two rotational pieces should improve the depth greatly.

Taking a look at the players in the deal specifically, Luke Kennard, whose three-year, $41 million extension will kick in next season, will provide good shooting and playmaking off the bench, and could serve as a replacement for Evan Fournier if he and the C’s can’t agree on a deal this offseason.

Kennard is also only 24, so along with having a few years on his contract, could improve down the line and serve as a serviceable option off the bench for multiple years.

Ivica Zubac, while not the stretch big the C’s really need, would provide an inside-scoring presence that Tristan Thompson and Robert Williams don’t currently provide.

Zubac isn’t the best defensively, but he is a good rebounder, so he’d probably provide good production off the bench, somewhat like what Enes Kanter provided last season for the C’s, and at the age of 24, like Kennard, Zubac has room to improve.

In Patrick Beverley, the C’s would gain a gritty, feisty defensive point guard with solid outside shooting, who, like Bledsoe, could possibly serve as a replacement for Marcus Smart if he gets moved in a separate deal.

Although Beverley isn’t as versatile of a player as Smart considering he’s a few inches smaller, he provides a similar skill set, but with better spot-up shooting and worse playmaking.

An added bonus to this deal is the Celtics shouldn’t have to include any picks, considering the Clippers don’t value them that highly when taking into account the trade they made for Paul George and their win-now approach.

On top of this deal, if the Clippers also ask for Tristan Thompson, the C’s could then ask for former Celtic NBA champion Rajon Rondo, who would fit nicely with his playmaking, defense, and leadership, which would then make it a four for two deal.

Thompson would replace Zubac in the rotation, and be more useable in the playoffs

If the Celtics view these three players as key rotational pieces even if they are all slightly overpaid, it would make a lot of sense to essentially move one vastly overpaid player for three slightly overpaid players who can still provide solid production and would be more tradeable down the line.

Why the Clippers do this deal:

After trading what felt like a million picks to acquire Paul George and ensure they also acquired Kawhi Leonard, many people felt the Clippers had a great chance of winning at least one championship, if not more.

However, after blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2nd round last season and finishing as only the 4 seed this season, their championship window is starting to get smaller and smaller.

After barely scraping by the Dallas Mavericks in 7 games in the first round of the playoffs, who are basically entirely one player albeit an amazing player in Luka Doncic, they will face the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the second round.

While the Clippers have a fighting chance of moving on, if they do end up losing to the Jazz, another second-round exit would be very disappointing for them.

That could lead to them becoming desperate this offseason and feeling it necessary to add a third star-caliber player to the roster.

While Kemba has been inconsistent and injury-prone with the C’s, he is still a star-caliber player at his best, so the Clippers could benefit greatly from acquiring him.

In terms of fit, considering star players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have somewhat similar skillsets as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Kemba’s role probably wouldn’t be all that different.

However, the Clippers have a better defensive team around those two than the Celtics currently do, so that weakness to Kemba’s game would be better covered up.

On top of that, all the Clippers would have to give up for Kemba are three players, who while all provided solid production during the regular season, didn’t contribute a whole lot against the Mavericks in the playoffs.

Zubac was the only player of the three who played in all 7 games, and also had the highest minutes per game of the three at only 14 minutes a game.

While Kemba isn’t exactly the third star the Clippers will have in mind entering this offseason, he is most likely the easiest third option to acquire given his contract.

If the Clippers don’t view any of the three players they give up in this deal as long-term rotational pieces and believe Kemba Walker can provide significant production for them when healthy, then both sides should feel good about making this deal.