We here at the Houdini like to scour the net for the best mock trades, the worst mock trades, and everything in between involving the Boston Celtics.
Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, I am here to say that I have found the most absurd trade proposal in the history of mock swaps.
Instagram account ‘mocktrades’ which comes up with daily (you guessed it) mock trades, cooked up a transaction that makes sense for neither side, gives Boston two identical No. 1 options playing the same position, and sends Jaylen Brown (and Marcus Smart and two future first-round picks) to Brooklyn to play with Kyrie Irving, who Brown didn’t even get along with in Boston.
Here’s why the trade doesn’t work for either side…
Why the Boston Celtics wouldn’t do it
So, the Cs just swept the Nets, who were favored to win the NBA title before and even after the James Harden trade, and we’re trying to send away series hero Marcus Smart and Boston’s second-leading scorer already?
The Celtics have been the hottest team in the league since the start of the 2022 calendar year and have seemingly clicked under Ime Udoka after COVID-19’s stranglehold on the league subsided. They may have an easy path to the NBA Finals with Khris Middleton’s injury knocking him out of the second-round Eastern Conference semifinals series against Boston and Joel Embiid’s orbital injury possibly knocking him out of the Philadelphia 76ers’ series with the Miami Heat.
Just…no. We’re not trading any member of the Cs core. Maybe Derrick White and/or Daniel Theis. But certainly not Brown or Smart.
Why the Brooklyn Nets wouldn’t do it
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving basically have full autonomy over the Nets front office and have their say on the roster construction in Kings County. They chose Brooklyn together to win titles and build their legacies and brands in the ‘Big Apple’.
Just stop this madness now. Durant is never going to be traded unless he forces the franchise’s hand, and not only has that not happened yet, but you shouldn’t lose sleep waiting for it to.