B/R mock sees Boston Celtics swap Robert Williams for C.J. McCollum
C.J. McCollum’s name has been linked to the Boston Celtics many times before, mostly by mock trade creators.
Some on the Portland Trail Blazers side of the equation have taken their chances publishing mock deals that return Jaylen Brown. The Houdini appreciates the efforts, but Brown is not being dealt for anything less than a certifiable upgrade. That, McCollum is not.
On the flip side, Boston Celtics writers are more inclined to want Marcus Smart to be the key name in any configuration of a McCollum trade. That is more likely, but Smart’s play and imminent pay spike may make that tough to justify on Portland’s end.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale came up with an interesting mock swap that sees Robert Williams, Juan Hernangomez, Romeo Langford, and Josh Richardson make their way to the Rose City in return for McCollum and Ben McLemore.
Why the Boston Celtics would do this
As Favale explains, this move would be made in the hopes of nabbing high-level facilitation that otherwise can’t be had on the free agent market this upcoming offseason. McCollum is locked up for several more seasons, but Dennis Schroder is most assuredly a goner come summer 2022 when he will be eligible for a massive pay bump from the sub-$6 million salary he is currently on.
Al Horford would be relied upon in a far more significant way with Williams gone, and Grant Williams would also figure to see an uptick in minutes. Aaron Nesmith would be the final current Celtics wing standing, but Ben McLemore himself could step in and provide veteran shooting for a bench that could use a steady scoring punch.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers do it
Robert Williams is showing (particularly against Cleveland on Wednesday) just how multi-faceted his game has become after entering the league with a DeAndre Jordan-esque skillset.
He has perhaps the highest ceiling going forward in the deal in the right situation. Perhaps playing alongside Damian Lillard is that situation.
Meanwhile, Josh Richardson enters the mix as a potential starter for the Trail Blazers and Romeo Langford and Juan Hernangomez become second unit options for a bench with a bottom-six net rating.