B/R’s Boston Celtics proposal would steal rotation big for second-rounders

Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale came up with a steal of a mock deal for the Boston Celtics in a proposal that’d see them swap an expiring reserve and two future second-rounders for a perfect potential third rotational big.

The deal, which was included in his trade deadline cheat sheet for all 30 NBA teams, would see the Cs swap Justin Jackson, Portland’s 2023 second-round pick, and San Antonio’s 2024 second-round pick for Naz Reid.

Favale echoed a sentiment the Houdini has in recent weeks regarding Reid becoming Grant Williams insurance should the 2019 Danny Ainge draft pick draw a major offer sheet in restricted free agency this summer:

"“To be sure, Reid might not cut the mustard relative to Big Al and RW3, either. But he hits the glass, can stretch the floor (though his three-point clip is down) and has the bandwidth to attack off the dribble downhill.”“Going after him is more than short-term insurance. Having his Bird Rights will come in handy if Grant Williams gets a huge offer sheet Boston isn’t inclined to match during restricted free agency.”"

The Boston Celtics would likely have to offer more for Naz Reid

There are many suitors for Naz Reid, meaning the price of the LSU product could be driven up in the days leading up to the February 9 trade deadline. Two second round picks and a wing — which is not a current need for the Minnesota Timberwolves — is probably not going to get the job done.

A simpler swap could be trading Payton Pritchard for Reid straight up, but the Cs front office may not want to move on from the third-year guard even in spite of his recent eyebrow-raising comments about his future.

Other arrangements could offer slumping shooter Sam Hauser, who has more value than Justin Jackson. Either way, don’t expect the Celtics to be able to steal Reid away from Minnesota so easily — if they are even able to meet the Timerwolves’ asking price at all.