Boston Celtics mock trade: LeBron James to GSW, Klay Thompson to Cs

Good morning, Boston Celtics fans! Your squad is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. And it gets better. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t even rank in the top 10 teams in the Western Conference and are eliminated from the postseason (and, somehow, the NBA Play-in) before it has even begun.

This goes out to all those who prematurely celebrated the demise of the Boston Celtics, claiming the team had a bleak future and that the ‘Jays’ would eventually want out.

You’re a sham, but you rock!

In the wake of the purple and gold’s demise this past season, LeBron James is either doing his classic posturing of the front office–on behalf of Klutch Sports, who seek complete control of the franchise’s moves and if they can’t get it, have proven willing to move on time and again–or being wildly public about wanting out.

James recently talked about wanting to team up with Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry on The Shop when asked who he’d want as a future teammate:

"“In today’s game? Steph Curry. Steph Curry is the one that I would want to play with, for sure, in today’s game. … Right now it’s Steph.”“I love everything about that guy. Lethal. When he gets out of his car you’d better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. As soon as he gets out of his car, you better guard his ass. You might want to guard him when he gets out of bed. I swear to God.”"

The Lakers dynasty-that-never-was is about to implode. An Anthony Davis trade appears to be on the table too given his own recent comments to ESPN:

"“I can’t control those things. That’s an upstairs thing. A Klutch, Rich Paul thing. My agency. I mean, my job is to go out and play basketball. Obviously I love it in L.A. If that’s something that they’re considering, then we’ll have a conversation about it. I don’t know what they’re talking about, what’s the plan.”"

Owners of the 2019-20 pandemic-interrupted season’s title, a first-round elimination in 2021, and an 11th place Western Conference finish this past season, Los Angeles has little in the way of future assets in the years Davis is leaving his prime. If we’re being honest with ourselves, James is leaving in 2023 anyway, so shipping him off too is the best path forward for a franchise that bargained everything for a single title down in the Lake Buena Vista bubble.

Hardwood Houdini has decided to concoct a three-team blockbuster involving the Boston Celtics that gives the ‘king’ his wish to play second fiddle to Steph Curry just as Kevin Durant once did:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

Giving up Al Horford, Derrick White, and a 2023 first-round draft pick could turn out to be overpaying for Klay Thompson.

The arrival of the second ‘Splash Brother’ this past season–after ACL and Achilles tears kept him out for two full seasons–didn’t deliver the results the Dubs were looking for. Jordan Poole’s numbers predictably took a dive, but, unpredictably, the Warriors lost their co-stranglehold over the Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns, giving the defending west champs sole possession.

Thompson’s shooting took a while to normalize, but he’s looking like a superstar once again given his output the past two months. The 5x All-Star went for at least 25 points in four of his last five appearances.

If he can carry this success over to a new home, Thompson would be the ideal third-wheel to the ‘Jays’ as a floor-spacer. In fact, there’s few better complements to the scoring pair, even if his defense isn’t what it used to be.

Kendrick Nunn is a salary throw-in that has potential to contribute in the second unit backcourt alongside Payton Pritchard if he can ever get healthy.

Why the Golden State Warriors do it

The Warriors give up a substantial haul for the possibility of a one-year rental. But LeBron James, even for just one season, is worth those assets. Especially under the terms in which he’d be acquired.

James brought an NBA Championship to his new franchise within two seasons of arriving. He did so in Miami, Cleveland (the second time) and Los Angeles. This time, he’d be jumping into a core with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and a vastly improved 2022 All-Star, Andrew Wiggins.

That feels like a no-brainer, especially considering the mutual respect James formed for Curry and Green during their four-year run of playing each other in the NBA Finals.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers do it

Desperation. Hopelessness. Few other options.

This Lakers team isn’t going to get better immediately considering the extremely limited means to improve the team has. Even if they do aim to improve around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the means to doing so would hamstring the franchise asset-wise moving forward.

The way forward for the Lakers is calling it quits with the current core. A Russell Westbrook buyout should be the first order of business if he can’t be traded, and James/Davis trades should immediately follow.