Boston Celtics: Bucks-Jazz trade proposal forms east defensive juggernaut

Given the Boston Celtics’ strength of schedule in their run to the Eastern Conference Championship, it’s fair to crown the Cs the kings of the east. Definitively.

Mowing down the odds-on favorites to win the NBA Finals at the beginning of the season (Brooklyn Nets) in four games, the defending NBA Champions (Milwaukee Bucks) in a seven-game war, and the 2019-20 Eastern Conference bubble titlists (Miami Heat) in a similarly structured series gives them that right.

The Boston Celtics are the class of the Eastern Conference

With that said, that spot is not entrenched by any means. There hasn’t been a dynasty since the Golden State Warriors were dethroned in 2019 by the Toronto Raptors, but the Cs have potential with their locked-in core. Banner 18 must be brought to the T.D. Garden rafters this season for that last sentence not to seem foolish this summer.

Should they get that done, the rest of the Eastern Conference will need to reload, and the following proposal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz:

Why the Milwaukee Bucks do it

Pairing Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo almost immediately neutralizes teams that rely on frontcourt scoring. Khris Middleton and Royce O’Neal interchangeably filling out that frontcourt makes Milwaukee a scary defensive juggernaut.

The Bucks have never lost a postseason series with a healthy Jrue Holiday-Middleton-Antetokounmpo core, but going all in on rim-protection is the kind of gamble that could pay off if the right free agents were added around it.

Jevon Carter should be brought back due to his performance during the Boston Celtics series, but a MLE candidate like Patty Mills (player option), Dennis Schroder, or Ricky Rubio could complete a defensively adept starting five.

Why the Utah Jazz do it

There’s already rumors of a Rudy Gobert trade to the Chicago Bulls, so the idea of the former Defensive Player of the Year being shipped off to a Central division team is already out there.

If the Jazz can get a return that includes a player the caliber of Jrue Holiday, it’s a no-brainer for the Utah front office.