This Boston Celtics trade returns 2 veterans for unused reserve

One step forward, one step back. The Boston Celtics can’t seem to break away from the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference, failing to ever get the ball rolling with a winning streak that gives them a buffer between .500 and where they currently sit in the standings.

Now 13-11, the Cs would be in the NBA Play-in tournament if the 2021-22 season ended today, and would need to defeat the Charlotte Hornets to get in. A loss would mean they’d need to beat the Philadelphia 76ers or Atlanta Hawks.

If you ask the Houdini? Beating those teams is uncomfortably not a sure thing at this point. That needs to change ASAP.

Does this deal accomplish that? Maybe. Maybe not. But at the very least, it gives the Cs players that have a chance to contribute:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Some of President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens’ fresh faces have yet to make any semblance of an impact in the offense so far. Juan Hernangomez and Bruno Fernando are two players that have gotten off on the wrong fit in the rotation, and the Houdini doesn’t see how that changes anytime soon.

Sometimes, change could be a catalyst for momentum. In the case of Cory Joseph and Trey Lyles, the pair offers stout defensive presences with the ability to shoot from distance. You could never have enough 3-and-D players as an NBA franchise.

Of course, both players are having a down year from beyond the arc, but last season their shooting percentages were above 35%. We’ll write off this year’s struggles to how young (and out of sorts) the Detroit Pistons are and their goals of playing their youth.

Why the Detroit Pistons do it

Detroit’s recent young draft picks play Joseph’s and Lyles’ positions. Simple NBA math dictates that they’ll want an opportunity to contribute before long, and the Pistons don’t offer those opportunities.

Picking up two players that could use new opportunities themselves is nice, but the true goal here for Detroit is to mine value out of guys that won’t necessarily return the same value themselves.