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Boston Celtics: Proposal swaps marquee offseason addition for depth

By Andrew Hughes

NBA Analysis Network came up with a mock trade that sends the marquee addition of this past offseason for the Boston Celtics to the Mavericks for depth Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Analysis Network came up with a mock trade that sends the marquee addition of this past offseason for the Boston Celtics to the Mavericks for depth Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the Boston Celtics playing so well, the idea of getting rid of any key rotational players is one that doesn’t sound particularly intriguing — of course, though, with the chips being all in this season, that line of thinking could change quickly.

Still, the NBA is a league that rewards boldness. It’s how the Miami Heat were able to collect two championships and four Finals appearances after going for broke to add LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a barebones roster with Dwyane Wade and how the New York Knicks were finally able to win a postseason series in the new millennium by deploying a similar strategy with Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler during the same time period. Scale relative to those franchises’ definitions of success, of course.

Perhaps if the Cs were to turn their overabundance of guard talent into depth on the wing and in the big rotation, they can ultimately go further in the postseason when the rotations shrink anyway. That was part of the thinking from NBA Analysis Network’s James Piercey in his mock trade proposal swapping Malcolm Brogdon for a Dallas Mavericks wing and big:

"Boston Celtics Receive: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F/C Maxi KleberDallas Mavericks Receive: G Malcolm Brogdon"

The Boston Celtics should hold off on any deal involving a top producer

Malcolm Brogdon is currently the third-leading scorer on the Boston Celtics and creates the third most opportunities for his teammates. Given their league-best record as of this writing, trading Brogdon away with him thriving in his role is probably not in their best interest.

But any period of time Brogdon misses in the future could open the door for Payton Pritchard to prove he could be a long-term backup floor general. If the Cs can prove capable of hanging towards the top of the standings during such a stretch, swapping a potential offseason flight-risk for one of the better physical wing defenders in the league (Dorian Finney-Smith) and a knock-down 3-point shooter that can play the 4 or the 5 (Maxi Kleber) could be a transaction worth pursuing.

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