The Boston Celtics could be on the kind of upswing that has Hardwood Houdini thinking about swinging for the fences far less and thinking about the viability of a championship parade down Tremont St. in 2022.
It’d take another win to do that after the Cs impressively took down the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks at home on Monday night by double digits.
With the Golden State Warriors coming to town on Friday, a golden opportunity to make a deafening statement that the Cs have righted the ship with the return of Jaylen Brown to the lineup on Monday.
Not to be a downer, though, but the rest of December includes postseason eligible teams besides the New York Knicks, who are well within striking distance of an NBA Play-in slot.
Things might be mired in mediocrity for a while, and with talk growing about the long-term viability of the ‘Jays’ pairing, trade rumors will only circle this franchise like sharks in the ocean.
Today, the Houdini is thinking drastically, and making multi-player blockbusters to supplant the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams:
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Kristaps Porzingis undoubtedly has a higher ceiling than Marcus Smart, and in acquiring the Latvian’s gargantuan commitment in a deal, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens could ask for several cost-controlled assets to come with him.
Dorian Finney-Smith would be an ace defender off the bench, Jalen Brunson has developed into a starter-quality point guard and could slide into the voids left, and Maxi Kleber adds shooting to the frontcourt…perhaps more so than what Al Horford currently provides.
Why the Dallas Mavericks do it
This deal adds more win-now talent around Luka Doncic than he has ever had in his four years as a member of the Mavs. Marcus Smart would be a glove fit in the backcourt, while Al Horford and Dennis Schroder provide both immediate veteran production and future cap relief after this season.