Though the majority of Boston Celtics fans have been nothing but exuberant about the moves this front office has made thus far this offseason, which have been spearheaded by the signing of Danilo Gallinari and the blockbuster that landed them Malcolm Brogdon, but this is not to say that the consensus opinion league-wide about these transactions is all-out positive.
In fact, just recently one rival executive from the Eastern Conference voiced his frustrations with the latter exchange that netted Ime Udoka’s squad the highly talented point guard, even sounding off on the matter when asked by Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett about whether the veteran’s addition would prove to be of serious help for one of the league’s most menacing clubs:
"“He will. He’ll be good for them,” the executive said. “Going to Boston, with strong people around him, unfortunately, yes, he’ll be good for them. I think he’s going to make them a lot better — which p***es me off.”"
The deeper roots of why the trade gives the anonymous executive such a visceral reaction remain somewhat unclear. Are their emotions tied to the fact that they are a part of a direct rival of the franchise? Perhaps it’s harbored due to jealously over the minimal amount of resources Brad Stevens and co. shelled out in return for the uber-talented combo guard?
Regardless of the reasons for why, we at the Houdini believe that this person is likely not the only one who feels upset about seeing this trade take place, for it unequivocally makes the 2022 NBA Finals runner-ups much stronger heading into the new campaign.
Two of the biggest aspects of the team’s scheme that this Boston Celtics front office wanted to address this offseason were secondary playmaking, particularly within their backcourt rotation, and second-unit scoring and a guy like Malcolm Brogdon alone aids in both of these areas.
Since establishing himself as a prominent player in this league, over the last four seasons, we’ve seen the 29-year-old post stellar per-game averages of 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.9 boards on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep and, since 2020-21, has been boasting 20.4 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.2 boards a night.
Adding a player of this caliber to Boston’s bench only goes on to make this team that came within two wins from claiming their 18th championship banner last season all the more threatening.
If we thought Stevens had himself a phenomenal year one serving as President of the C’s, year two is already seemingly shaping up to be even better, and the trade for Brogdon is a major reason why.
Stay jealous you rival execs!