Boston Celtics: Cam Reddish traded for Aaron Nesmith in N.A.N mock

Hardwood Houdini sees non-guaranteed free agent signings being the only remaining items left on Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens’ to-do list as training camp looms at the end of September.

Believe it or not, we are less than two weeks away from the C’s first preseason contest, a home matchup against the Orlando Magic on Monday October 4th. Yes, it’s been a quick offseason, with the NBA aiming to restore the schedule back to pre-pandemic normalcy.

That said, NBA writers/keyboard general managers never stop wheeling and dealing…just like their real life counterparts.

And this mock trade from the NBA Analysis Network is the kind of forward thinking we could picture from Stevens himself:

"Atlanta Hawks Receive: G/F Aaron Nesmith, F Grant WilliamsBoston Celtics Receive: F Cam Reddish, ATL First-Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)"

To be clear, Aaron Nesmith is the best player in the deal because of his shooting. Cam Reddish has shown the ability to finish from inside the arc, but his long-range shot is a work in progress that may never near Nesmith’s by completion.

Reddish has posted better counting stats in his two years in Atlanta, but he has had more of an opportunity to. Nesmith had Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Evan Fournier, and even Romeo Langford slide ahead of him on the depth chart throughout the 2020-21 season.

Atlanta has an even more crowded wing, but Nesmith’s catch-and-shoot abilities can help him stand out in an offense that centers around the gravitational pull of Trae Young.

The draw here for Boston is the first-rounder from the Hawks, which will grant the Cs an extra cost-controlled player in the coming years. That’ll be a necessity when extensions for Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Josh Richardson kick in. If they’re not traded for a superstar first, of course.

All in all, this would be a good trade for the green, but I’m not convinced Atlanta pulls the trigger considering the lack of established talent it would return.