While the Boston Celtics have been on somewhat of a hot streak through the first half of January, winning six of their10 games played thus far into 2022, for the most part, it has appeared as though with every positive step forward this team takes they end up following it up by then taking two steps back and now, as a result of Wednesday’s underwhelming loss to the Charlotte Hornets, they find themselves back to boasting just a measly .500 record of 23-23.
Hovering around the likes of mediocrity for the overwhelming majority of this year’s campaign, the C’s seem destined to see a similar, if not worse fate than the one they endured just last season (a .500 record and a first-round playoff exit via gentleman’s sweep) should they not turn things around soon.
Of course, a popular method amongst fans and media pundits alike in regard to how this team could get themselves heading in the right direction is by having Brad Stevens and co. scour the trade market between now and February’s deadline and, in turn, bring on some fresh new talents to help guide this team out of their current rut.
Of course, with how things stand with their decision-makers unless they get crafty in negotiations or are willing to take serious gambles like dealing for semi-undesirable contracts, there’s a strong possibility that, for the second straight year, we won’t be seeing the Boston Celtics making any massive shakeups to the rotation, for the players the front office is reportedly willing to give up likely won’t bring all that big of a return and the two players that would score them an incredibly lucrative deal in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are, for the most part, listed as “untouchable.”
However, despite the fact that the Jays are off the trade block, this hasn’t stopped individuals from concocting schemes that could, in theory, entice the shamrocks to consider splitting up their star duo.
In fact, just recently the folks at Bleacher Report came up with a deal that would, in their own words, ‘actually shock you’ involving Jaylen Brown being sent packing to the Los Angeles Lakers for one of their own franchise cornerstones in superstar big man, Anthony Davis.
The exact deal proposed reads as follows:
Now, though admittedly writer Zach Buckley did immediately state that the deals that he concocted in his piece were not predictions of what he believes will happen this trade season, he did claim them to be “bound by reality in terms of trade value and each team’s potential willingness to broker a blockbuster.”
For this particular proposal that would land the Boston Celtics Anthony Davis along with a slew of other quality contributors, the piece goes on to cite a potentially perfect pairing between Tatum and the megastar power forward while also pointing out how the additions of Talen-Horton Tucker and a future first-round pick could wind up setting the team up quite nicely in the long run:
"The Celtics were linked to Davis back when he wanted out of the Big Easy, and substantial interest could remain. The overlapping concerns of the Brown-Tatum combo would be out the window with Davis, an intimidating paint presence who can finish above the rim and find offense away from it. Having him and Robert Williams III in the same frontcourt would basically put a barricade between opponents and the basket.Talen Horton-Tucker has hit some road bumps in his third season, but he’s still just 21 years old and flashes enough shot-creation to let imaginations run wild about his future. The future pick, which wouldn’t convey until James was 42 years old and (presumably) done with the Lakers, could have considerable trade value for Boston to pick up a replacement floor general."
Now, as has been stated on numerous occasions in the past, we at the Houdini absolutely do not wish to see the Boston Celtics split up their dynamic wing duo anytime soon, for we truly believe they are one complimentary piece away from embarking on yet another deep postseason/ potential championship run.
That said, should the front office find themselves hell-bent on breaking them apart, this type of move may be one of the better ones they could ultimately make.
Despite Davis’ struggles both on the court and with his health this season, he is still without a doubt a top-10 player in the association who plays a position of serious need for the C’s.
Throughout his illustrious 10-year career, the Brow boasts stellar averages of 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor while also collecting accolades such as eight All-Star nods, four All-NBA selections, four All-Defensive selections, three times leading the league in blocks, and an NBA Championship.
On top of this, what truly makes AD so interesting to consider acquiring is the fact that the NBA’s Top-75 selectee is still just 28-years-old, which means there’s still likely plenty more left in the tank for him to continue excelling at a top-flight level and, with this, help elevate the shamrocks’ production on both sides of the ball.
On top of Davis coming to Boston, of course, is perhaps arguably the most valuable commodity (we said arguably), which is the 2027 first-round selection.
As Buckley correctly pointed out, by this time it’s more than likely that LeBron will have parted with the Los Angeles Lakers, thus making us believe, being they already mortgaged their future to win their 17th championship back in 2020, they’ll be in the midst of a post-King James rebuild, thus meaning said pick could very well wind up slotting in rather high on the draft board.
With this plausible scenario in mind, the draft selection could then, in turn, be dangled on the trade market by the Celtics at some point after having acquired it to then try and land a final piece to complete a new age Big-3 alongside Tatum and Davis which, to us, certainly doesn’t sound like a bad deal in the end.
Again, while we truly wish to see the Jays stay put in Boston and find a way to guide this team back towards respectability (something we’re confident that they can do if given a better supporting cast), should the front office ultimately wish to deal away one of their stars, particularly Brown, this deal proposed by Buckley would be a tremendous move to make.