A blockbuster trade for Dejounte Murray the Boston Celtics must consider

Though things have been rather quiet to start out this year’s NBA offseason, fret not Boston Celtics fans, for big things could be right on the horizon for this ball club.

At least, that’s what the front office has hinted at.

After not trading up into the first round of this year’s NBA Draft like he reportedly wanted to and, instead, staying at pick No. 23 where JD Davison was ultimately selected, in a post-draft press conference, President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, stated that there has been much discussion of what the C’s could wind up doing moving forward this offseason, with his highlight comment being “things are just getting started.”

Of course, the biggest storyline pertaining to Boston’s summer endeavors revolves around what they plan on doing with their bevy of TPE’s, particularly the one they received during last year’s free agency period via the Evan Fournier sign-and-trade with the Knicks that has an overall value of up to $17.1 million.

With this luxury, the franchise has the opportunity to bring on several quality talents to help bolster their roster and inch them closer to winning their first title since 2008 after falling just two wins shy of achieving such an accomplishment during this past campaign.

From guys like Alec Burks to Terrence Ross (both solid options the Boston Celtics should still consider), there are plenty of ballers Stevens and co. could choose to pursue between now and the exception’s expiration on July 18th, the vast majority of whom are tremendous role players.

However, there are a few actual stars out there that could, in theory, be absorbed into the illustrious TPE, and one, in particular, may not be as difficult to acquire as it was once believed.

Just recently, reports surfaced stating that the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs have engaged in trade negotiations that are intended to send All-Star point guard, Dejounte Murray, to Georgia.

While many were initially under the impression that rising-star big man, John Collins, would be heading to Texas in this type of exchange, per WSB’s Zach Klein, the deal would likely be centered around the 25-year-old being swapped out for Danilo Gallinari and multiple future first-round picks.

Just a few days ago, we declared that the Boston Celtics trading for Murray this summer should be viewed as a mere pipe-dream for, originally, we believed the Spurs would be hell-bent on acquiring picks galore and young promising prospects in return.

However, if Klein’s reports are true and the franchise is interested in Atlanta’s offer of picks and a 33-year-old forward who’s making over $20 million next season, then you better believe the C’s can outdo this type of package if they wanted to, and below is one they must look to offer up if they do:

Obviously, with the loss of Dejounte Murray, the San Antonio Spurs will be completely focused on embarking on a full-fledged rebuild, and by offering up Aaron Nesmith along with picks, already it would appear that Boston would be shelling out a better offer than the Hawks.

A lottery-selected talent just two years ago, the wing came into the association tabbed as being one of the best scorers and arguably the best shooter of his respective class after finishing his final collegiate campaign posting averages of 23 points on 52 percent shooting from deep and 51 percent shooting overall from the floor.

Now, though his first two seasons at the next level have not been all that impressive (averages of 4.2 points on just 32 percent shooting from deep), we at the Houdini, along with many other experts, believe that his shortcomings have, in large, been due to inconsistent playing time and the fact that he’s a player who needs proper attention and tutelage, something a championship-aspiring team usually cannot provide their project youngins.

However, when given proper run on the hardwood throughout his NBA journey, more often than not, the wing has managed to impress.

Yes, we always say it but it’s absolutely true that from the 8.6 point and 5.1 rebound averages on 42 percent shooting from deep when receiving 20+ minutes per game during his rookie campaign, during the 2021 Summer League where he averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field in 26.7 minutes, to even during the 2021 preseason where he posted 10.8 points on 50 percent shooting from deep in 17.1 minutes we’ve seen Nesmith shine when given consistent opportunities.

On a rebuilding squad like the Spurs, he’d be able to receive exactly this and, in turn, could actually go on to reach his full potential and have a solid professional career as a result.

On top of this, they’d also be creating a rather lucrative TPE for themselves in this scenario, which could certainly come in handy moving forward, especially if they want to go the route of taking on undesirable contracts in order to continue stockpiling draft picks.

As for the Boston Celtics, obviously, they’d be getting the biggest name in the whole exchange in Murray at one heck of a steal.

By bringing him aboard, not only would Ime Udoka be bringing on that pure point guard that many believe this rotation needs, but we’d also see a new Big-3 being formulated with him, Jaylen Brown, and, of course, Jayson Tatum.

Just this past season, the guard went on to nab his first All-Star nod by posting stat-sheet stuffing averages of 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-leading two steals per game on 46 percent shooting from the field.

With him teaming up with the Jays, the Boston Celtics would find themselves in possession of arguably the most menacing two-way trinity in the game today.

A player who seemingly provides a bit of everything when on the floor, a team like the C’s that is seemingly just one piece away from bringing home banner No. 18 should strongly consider jumping into trade talks pertaining to Dejounte Murray, especially if the offer the Spurs are reportedly considering taking is what Klein has stated.

Boston can absolutely beat that!