This NBA trade deadline will be one spent in buyer mode for the Boston Celtics.
Those are the spoils that follow the victories they’ve been racking up lately. And quite frankly, this Eastern Conference has no established power that should be seen as the definitive favorite.
One of Las Vegas’ longtime 2021-22 title favorites, the Brooklyn Nets, appear set to trade James Harden, and the Philadelphia 76ers could be set to dominate with the next Kobe-Shaq-esque pairing…or a disaster waiting to happen. Harden has demanded two trades in two seasons. Not good.
Milwaukee appears to be a buyout market player, as do the Miami Heat. Micky Arison’s franchise just won an Eastern Conference championship in the bubble and owns three titles in the last 16 years. Championships matter, so those two teams are more attractive than Boston is right now.
No matter. Brad Stevens has the trade deadline to make his mark. If the said mark is made, Grant Williams–recently quoted by Jackie MacMullan to be on the trade block–and Dennis Schroder could be had.
Or, talked into. Williams himself is an asset to just about anyone with a 43% 3-point conversion rate on over three attempts per game, but Schroder could simply be used as trade-to-buyout bait for a rebuilding team with his expiring contract. Then he could perhaps rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers and reunite with Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis…the latter two of which thought they had it bad last year before experiencing an even greater struggle in 2021-22.
Here’s a Houdini mock that incorporates both in a deal with the fire sale going on in Portland:
Why the Boston Celtics do it
Josh Hart was a capable starter for the New Orleans Pelicans this season, but his strengths would be accentuated inheriting some of the ball-handling responsibilities vacated by Dennis Schroder’s departure.
Hart and Josh Richardson would form a formidable wing pair on the Cs bench, and would be trustworthy shooters in the postseason when the rotation shrinks and defense will be at a premium against the east’s elite scoring threats.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers do it
Grant Williams is a major reason. He’s a low-cost shooter that would complement the heck out of Damian Lillard as a knock-down 3-point threat.
The draft pick is nice too. Might as well roll the dice in the upcoming draft to find another Lillard counterpart.
Ultimately, the cap space opened up creates a world of opportunities this offseason. $9 million is a hearty chunk of salary.