OG Anunoby is one of the biggest potential acquisitions on the NBA trade market for any team right now, and the Boston Celtics are somewhat of a longshot to pry the 25-year-old away from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline.
Still, the Celtics do have the pieces to put together a respectable trade proposal for the native of England if they wanted such a pursuit — especially if his price drops between now and 4 pm eastern on February 9.
MassLive’s Brian Robb, in answering a question from a reader who proposed the following trade package in his latest Celtics Mailbag, revealed that shipping off several second-unit contributors to land a potential starter in this arrangement is a ‘swing worth taking’ for the Cs:
Toronto likely to get better OG Anunoby offers than this Boston Celtics proposal
Anunoby could be a final piece for several contenders that have yet to break through in a meaningful way during the postseason. The six-foot-seven forward is a two-way weapon who’d be an ideal third option on many teams.
Two of those team reside in the west and could use a third option. The first is the Dallas Mavericks, who could use more top-tier talent in the Kyrie Irving trade’s aftermath. Dallas could offer Tim Hardaway and/or the expiring deals of Christian Wood and Reggie Bullock (player option) to go along with draft picks. Anunoby would be the perfect defensive-minded option to pair with the offensively-oriented Irving and Luka Doncic.
The Memphis Grizzlies could also stand to use another scorer behind Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. Anunoby has the defensive grit to fit the culture Taylor Jenkins has established and he could be a catch-and-shoot decoy to open up the lanes for the Grizzlies backcourt.
Either team would represent an upgrade over the Raptors, who appear more likely for a teardown then another title at this stage.