Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens likes to win the trades he participates in, having done so to nab Derrick White for a draft pick and expendable pieces at this past February trade deadline and then again on July 1st when the Cs acquired Malcolm Brogdon the same way.
Perhaps that’s why he didn’t involve himself in any Kevin Durant dealings, having initially offered Jaylen Brown, White, and a draft pick before rebuffing Brooklyn Nets counter-offers asking for Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart.
The KD trade saga is over now after Nets owner Joe Tsai said that the franchise and Durant would be moving forward with their partnership, meaning the NBA offseason can now resume after slowing to a halt. While standing pat is more than likely the course of action the Boston Celtics front office could take, swinging for the fences to improve their roster before the October 18th season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers is on the table too with Banner 18 being such a tangible goal for the 2022-23 season.
Here’s a blockbuster trade proposal Hardwood Houdini has come up with to acquire Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins and add him to the Celtics’ starting lineup:
Why the Boston Celtics do it
This is a steep price to pay for a player whose stats have declined over the past several seasons, but John Collins has a star ceiling he may simply never reach in an Atlanta Hawks offense run by a floor general in Trae Young that has been known to have friction with the bouncy big man.
In a frontcourt shared with Robert Williams, Collins’ defensive shortcomings at the rim would be covered up, and with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum, Collins would have plenty of help defense on switches.
Pushing Al Horford to the second unit with Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari would give Boston the best bench in the league by far. While losing Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Grant Williams takes away much of the team’s shooting depth, going all in on the frontcourt is the best way to battle the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat, who all own rosters built with a frontcourt focus.
Why the Atlanta Hawks do it
Following the Dejounte Murray trade in which they dealt away a trio of first-round picks and agreed to another potential first-round pick swap with the San Antonio Spurs, the Atlanta Hawks could use some draft capital just in case the Murray-Trae Young backcourt doesn’t pan out.
Merely swapping John Collins for Grant Williams may end up leading to a better-fitting Hawks lineup, but adding two more shooters in Derrick White and Payton Pritchard completes a revamped Atlanta backcourt.
The Hawks have locked in their two franchise cornerstones in Young/Murray, pushing Collins into a tertiary role. He’d perform better in that role with a lineup like Boston’s.