Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 2 proposed trades to improve offense
By Mark Nilon
Trade No. 1) A 3-for-3 swap between the Boston Celtics and LA Clippers
It’s no secret that a rather sizeable weakness found within the rotation for the Boston Celtics is in their backcourt.
Though Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder are unbelievably talented in their own right, some question whether they are the right guys to be leading the charge at the guard positions for this ball club.
As has been seen thus far into the year, be it with one starting and the other coming off the pine or with each serving in the first five, both veterans have appeared to be questionable fits at times within this scheme (especially when on the floor together) and, as a result, they run the risk of being offloaded for other assets that arguably could be more desirable moving forward.
With this in mind, C&C writer, Owen Crisafulli, composed a deal that would send both of them out of Boston in exchange for the likes of Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, and former Celtic, Marcus Morris which, in his mind, would be a big plus in the offensive potential department:
"Schroder and Reggie Jackson are very similar players, as both are gifted scorers that aren’t exactly fantastic three point shooters. Jackson’s efficiency is way down from last season due to him having to pick up most of the slack in the wake of George and Leonard being injured. If Jackson ended up in Boston, he would most likely benefit from having less responsibility playing behind Tatum and Brown. Adding Luke Kennard would give the Boston Celtics a weapon they don’t have. Kennard is a three-point specialist who has his limitations elsewhere on the court, but would give the offense something it doesn’t have right now. Smart’s defense would be missed, but he would probably be forgotten very quickly if Kennard comes in and shoots like he has his whole career. And then Marcus Morris Sr. would make a return to Boston, giving the team another shooter they desperately need. It’s been great having Al Horford back in the fold, but he’s clearly not the player he once was, and you can make a pretty convincing case that Grant Williams deserves to take over his starting role. Moving Horford would allow for this to happen, and give Boston’s bench another floor-spacing shooter who could help open up the floor for Tatum and Brown."
Yes, all three of these players mentioned are solid contributors who, in fairness to Crisafulli, would likely be able to help boost the offensive production for the Boston Celtics if acquired. That said, are their skills really worth giving up all of this all-around versatility and, perhaps more importantly, Marcus Smart for?
These positive attributes mentioned in the piece are all valid points, but, still, we must look at the proposed trade for what it actually is — Boston would be giving up three key starters (Schroder has been in the starting unit more often than not this season) for three mere role players, two of which (Jackson and Kennard) are on far-less favorable contracts than both Smart and Schroder who, at worst, put forth the same contributions and, realistically, provide more to their respective team, especially when it comes to Smart.
Now, trading for each one of these listed players in an individual deal is one thing and, in fact, could actually prove to be quite beneficial as has been stated in a recent piece of ours.
However, acquiring all three of them seems like a nonsensical move to make, especially if it comes at this type of cost for, frankly, they almost certainly would be better utilized in a deal elsewhere.