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Boston Celtics 139-96 rout of Nets has SN clamoring for Brooklyn deadline deals

By Andrew Hughes

The 139-96 Boston Celtics rout of Brooklyn has Sportsnaut's Vincent Frank clamoring for the Nets to make deals at the trade deadline Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The 139-96 Boston Celtics rout of Brooklyn has Sportsnaut's Vincent Frank clamoring for the Nets to make deals at the trade deadline Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 139-96 beatdown the Boston Celtics put on the Nets on February 1 was so thorough that Sportsnaut’s Vincent Frank is convinced Brooklyn must make a trade before the February 9 deadline to keep up in the Eastern Conference.

Boston massacred Brooklyn on the boards to the tune of a 57-32 deficit on Wednesday. The Cs also shot over 48% from the 3-point line while holding the Nets to a 23% conversion rate from beyond the arc. It was a humbling beatdown for a Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn squad, to say the least.

Noting the possibility of postseason matchups with teams like the Philadelphia 76ers that feature a matchup-busting big man like Joel Embiid, Frank believes the Nets proved against the Cs that they cannot win with their roster as is.

Nets suggested to pursue former Boston Celtics wing and current Cs trade target

Frank believes that the Nets should phone the San Antonio Spurs and inquire about the availability of a former Boston Celtics wing (Josh Richardson) and a current Cs frontcourt trade target (Jakob Poeltl):

"“Veteran center Jakob Poeltl is firmly on the trade block and would be a centerpiece heading to Brooklyn in a deal. He plays solid defense and has proven to be a pretty good passer from the low-post (3.0 assists in 2022-23). His $9.3 million salary also makes it possible for Marks to expand the deal to multiple players.”“Bringing in three-and-D wing Josh Richardson would solve issues at multiple positions and on both ends of the court. In addition to shooting a solid 36% from three-point range this season, Richardson has historically proven to be a good perimeter defender despite some struggles on that end during the 2022-23 campaign.”"

Suggesting using Joe Harris as the primary salary-matching filler in the deal, Frank proposed including Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and future draft picks to land Poeltl and Richardson in one fell swoop.

Thomas’ trade value is likely similar to Payton Pritchard’s but the Cs don’t have anyone expendable to include of similar value to Sharpe. Boston does have more draft capital should it want to be competitive in the Poeltl sweepstakes, but that is unlikely at this point.

The Celtics don’t need to overpay for anyone, though. They’re not desperate to upgrade their roster like the Nets are.

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