Boston Celtics: This 3-team trade lands Dennis Shroder on the NY Knicks

Per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Boston Celtics could have three Dennis Schroder trade destinations lined up ahead of the February 10th NBA trade deadline:

"There’s a strong possibility Dennis Schroder is traded ahead of the deadline. Boston is expected to avoid the tax and therefore likely won’t be able to afford the point guard this offseason, which was also why the Celtics moved Daniel Theis to the Bulls last season. New York, Cleveland and Dallas have been mentioned as potential destinations for Schroder."

The Houdini has come up with a trade that send Dennis Schroder to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the past, but Rajon Rondo’s presence now makes that as much a potential bench mob backcourt nightmare for the Cavs and whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing could go either way. As for the Dallas Mavericks, there’s potential for something there too given their depth at both the center and point guard positions.

Today, though, we leave the Mavericks behind and rope the Cavs and Knicks into a three-team deal that switches things up and adds talent to the Cs second unit:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Losing Dennis Schroder will put more of an emphasis on Payton Pritchard and Marcus Smart at the point guard position–unless of course, Brad Stevens has another ace up his sleeve in the trade market–and also give Jayson Tatum more ball-handling responsibilities.

What it will also do in this scenario is bring another point-forward to the Cs in Cedi Osman. Not only that, but the center position would add another defensive-minded presence in Ed Davis behind Robert Williams.

Why the NY Knicks do it

If Leon Rose was able to land Dennis Schroder and trade away Kemba Walker in one fell swoop, the MSG faithful would continue to praise his performance, especially after he just landed Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks. Perhaps a professional pairing with R.J. Barrett could benefit both former Blue Devils.

Losing Immanuel Quickley hurts, but Dean Wade could add another hybrid forward to clear up their guard rotation even more.

Why the Cleveland Cavaliers do it

The Cavs are strongest in the frontcourt, where Jarrett Allen, Lauri Markkanen, and rookie wunderkind Evan Mobley have made for the most surprisingly effective big lineup the league has seen since the dawn of small ball contenders/champions of the last decade.

Adding Kemba Walker–who, could perhaps thrive away from a potentially toxic home environment in NYC as he did in Charlotte–and Immanuel Quickley tips those scales a smidge towards the backcourt.

Not too significantly, unless Walker could turn back the clock to even his first season with the Boston Celtics in 2019-20.

In which case, watch out for Cleveland come playoff time.