Boston Celtics: A Deandre Ayton blockbuster trade Cs must consider

The Boston Celtics are a team looking for redemption after enduring one of their most disappointing campaigns in recent memory just a year ago.

After an offseason filled with transactions and front office shakeups, it appears as though they are well on their way towards a bounce-back season, and perhaps the biggest reason for why is due to the team’s upgraded talent pool.

From returning players such as All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to newly acquired additions like Dennis Schroder, Al Horford, and Juan Hernangomez the shamrocks look to have the makings of an incredibly deep squad.

However, despite their numerous roster moves and improvements, there are still some who believe they have yet to do enough reshuffling to have them legitimately vie for a title run during this upcoming season, with a lacking of “high-impact guys” being viewed as a major reason for why.

Because of this, it is the belief of these people that the front office should continue scouring the markets to see if they can bring on some more game-changing players to add to their core moving forward.

Though obviously, these types of individuals are typically difficult to come by, for their respective teams generally wish to keep them in tow for the long haul in an effort to build around them, there are definitely a few who are seemingly on the outs with their employers and, in turn, could soon be perceived as available.

Notably, within the past day or so word has come out that the Phoenix Suns and former No. 1 overall selection, Deandre Ayton, may be on the outs themselves after they failed to come to an agreement on a contract extension.

Because of this, many are already discussing the possibility of Ayton requesting to go elsewhere after reportedly feeling “disrespected” by the franchise with their negotiation blunders.

Now, should this happen and the center is put on the trade block, we here at the Houdini believe the Boston Celtics should strongly consider pursuing the talented youngster, and believe the deal listed below must be considered by both parties:

Coming off a solid season that ultimately ended in an NBA Finals appearance, Ayton saw himself posting averages of 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on a highly efficient 63 percent shooting from the floor.

He then would only go on to improve these numbers under the bright lights of the postseason, averaging 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and a block per game on an NBA record 66 percent shooting from the field.

Proving to be one of the best young pivots in the league today, the 23-year-old would be a tremendous foundational piece who possesses true star potential to have running alongside the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and could impact the game on offense with his post moves, footwork, and improving mid-range game just as easily as he could on defense with his sound rim-protecting skills and impressive athleticism.

Now, as we alluded to earlier on, nabbing a building block type of player will obviously be a rather difficult thing to accomplish, but this package we’ve concocted might actually be worth considering both for the Boston Celtics as well as for the Phoenix Suns.

For a team that made it to within just two wins of attaining their first NBA championship, losing their talented starting center of course would be an upsetting scenario. That said, replacing him with the likes of another young and high-potential big in Robert Williams could make the blow a bit easier to take, even if it’s believed that his ceiling is lower than Ayton’s — we love Rob Will here at the Houdini but this is absolutely true, folks.

Perceived as a legitimate breakout candidate for 2021-22, the Time Lord has become a fan favorite amongst the Boston Celtics faithful during his three-year tenure with the organization and after receiving his four-year, $54 million extension this past summer, it is believed that he can certainly serve as a reliable franchise big in this league moving forward.

Last season, Williams arguably already had his breakout campaign as he went on to post 15.5 points, 13.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.4 blocks per 75 possessions on an impressive 72 percent shooting from the floor while boasting a team-best box plus-minus of 6.1.

On top of this, during the 13 games in which he started he went on to post 9.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 blocks on 70.5 percent shooting in his 23.7 minutes, while also guiding the Cs to a 10-3 record along the way.

Slotting him into the starting five at center may be seen as a bit of a downgrade for Phoenix when comparing his potential to Ayton’s, but should they be on course to potentially lose him anyway, making such a move could still wind up positioning them rather well to have another shot at a deep playoff run while also having a solid option down low for years to come.

On top of this, they also bring on a top-20 protected future first-round pick and the sound two-way wing, Josh Richardson, to deepen their depth at the position.

Now yes, we understand many of you may be shocked and even enraged to see us suggesting that the Boston Celtics should consider moving on from Robert Williams.

However, it’s hard to argue against such an idea should they be able to bring back a player in Deandre Ayton who has already proven to be a better all-around player and, frankly, is not all that far away from securing the moniker of a top-5 center in the NBA.

With Williams manning the middle for the Cs, they have the potential to be a very good team (assuming he can stay healthy of course, which, obviously, has proven to be a very big if).

With Ayton, however, they have the potential to be truly great and, in turn, be viewed as a legitimate championship contender through the years to come.