Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 2 proposed Damian Lillard trades
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics trade No. 1) C’s form Big 3, Portland gains future assets
The concept of Damian Lillard being traded to the Boston Celtics is seemingly as old as time and, until he’s traded elsewhere or, well, retires, these specific talks will almost certainly continue to circulate.
In this proposed trade by James Piercey, we see Brad Stevens taking his sights off of the long-term agenda and, instead, going full out on a “win now” scenario, swapping out three first-round selections for the star guard.
On top of all this, we see the C’s sending over Al Horford (a mere salary matcher for the Blazers, but a big leadership loss for the C’s), Derrick White, and, most notably, Grant Williams who Piercey sees as being “a long-term rotation player” for Chauncey Billups’ squad, citing his floor-spacing and defensive versatility as being solid contributions for the rotation.
As for Boston, obviously, they bring Lillard aboard to come in and team up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, thus formulating one of the most menacing trios in all of basketball.
The 10-year veteran is a 6x All-Star and 6x All-NBA selection who boasts stellar averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 37 percent shooting from deep.
A player who’s just as capable of taking over a game with his scoring as he is with his distributing and set-up skills, Dame has proven himself to be one of the most electrifying floor generals throughout his NBA career, yet hasn’t been able to reach the promised land due to rather underwhelming supporting casts–sure he had CJ McCollum as his number two but, in an ideal situation, they would have needed another star slotted in here and slide the shooting guard to a number three slot in the pecking order.
With Tatum and Brown by his side, he’d have an even better layout than this, for both are legitimate two-way All-Stars, with the former even teetering on superstar level with his play during this year’s postseason.
Bolstering the most important position with one of the best options in the game today could prove to be a true game-changer for Boston’s championship pursuits right upon his arrival in eastern Massachusetts.
While giving up all these assets may have some a bit trepidacious, a lineup of Damian Lillard, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Robert Williams has the makings of being the best starting five in the league and, should this be a real possibility, the C’s would be foolish not to jump at the opportunity.