The Los Angeles Clippers got the hammer from the NBA as punishment for circumventing the cap to keep Kawhi Leonard on the team. That's great news for the Boston Celtics, given that they have a pick swap with the Clippers two years from now. That's in the future, but the Clippers' situation could also help the Celtics in the present.
Lest we forget that the Clippers traded Leonard months before they were punished, with the only reason it not being official was because the investigation was still ongoing. Now that it's resolved, Leonard will be gone not too long from now.
When he does, the Clippers roster will get a massive downgrade, all due respect to Brandon Ingram and Grady Dick. They are not a playoff contender anymore, but oddly enough, they have a bunch of players that contenders could use. In the Celtics' case, the two players who would make sense are Kris Dunn and Brook Lopez.
Dunn is an excellent defender who would provide excellent resistance in the second unit. Many are concerned about Boston's guard depth outside of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Dunn would quell some concerns on that front, even if he's not really a scorer. Fun fact: he technically was a Celtic four years ago.
Then there's Lopez, who used to be a key part of one of the Celtics' biggest enemies, but is definitely not on that level. However, with the odds of an Al Horford reunion decreasing by the second, Lopez is probably the next best thing. Plus, he'd play an even lesser role. Joe Mazzulla has put an emphasis on bigs that can corral offensive rebounds, but let's not forget his affinity for stretch bigs.
They'd be nice players to have when Boston's undermanned, even if they wouldn't be every day roles. Because the Celtics have embraced "next man up" since Day 1 of Mazzulla Ball, Dunn and Lopez fit their MO.
Boston has emphasized using every single asset in their roster. Right now they have 14 players on the roster, so it's not like they have the room to add both, but they have the $27.7 million Anfernee Simons TPE to use and could absolutely trade one of the players on their current roster
Making the Clippers worse makes that Celtics asset better
If Boston can get their hands on one or both of those two of those players, it suddenly increases the chances of the Clippers getting worse. Since they just lost all of their picks from now until 2033, it's harder for them to get better.
Although one may ask why the Clippers would voluntarily make themselves worse with what they owe Boston, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, they could salvage their future the best they can by whatever assets they can get their hands on.
Dunn is expiring and Lopez is aging/limited, so it's not like LA would get much in exchange for them but Boston could at least help them somewhat. If they're not long-term fixtures as Clippers, why not get value for them while you still can?
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