Boston Celtics: These 2 Marcus Smart-Tristan Thompson trades return starting PG

Why the Boston Celtics do it

At this point, the missing piece to get the Cs into the NBA Finals may just be the primary missing piece in the team’s 2018 postseason run, Terry Rozier. Al Horford is back, and the Jays have extrapolated their star performances from that offseason into a full season’s worth of All-Star heroism.

Marcus Smart was a part of that run, but he is also the primary trade piece that can help reel in a major return. Now that Rozier is a 20-point-per-game scorer, the 2015 #16 pick qualifies as such.

Why the Charlotte Hornets do it

With the ascension of LaMelo Ball, the Hornets are better off building around his talents, and Marcus Smart is the kind of addition that can alleviate defensive pressure off of the 2020-21 Rookie of the Tear.

Their need for another capable frontcourt big makes Tristan Thompson more than just a salary filler throw-in, while Romeo Langford could find his footing with a new home after showing flashes in the 2021 postseason. A draft pick definitely gets the deal done and sets the stage for more young talent around Ball in the future.