Before we start, I must request that the Boston Celtics fanbase put the guns down. I will start with this: the Celtics wouldn't have to (and shouldn't) trade Derrick White for Ja Morant under any circumstances. Luckily, because of their favorable cap situation, they don't have to.
Now, on with the show. Since taking on the role of President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens has mastered the art of getting quality players paid at a decent rate while their value is lower than usual. It hasn't always worked out (Dennis Schroder, Nikola Vucevic), but when it has, the returns have been phenomenal (Al Horford, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Kristaps Porzingis).
Now, he has the chance to do that again without compromising the core of the Jays or White for his efforts. Because Boston is under the tax, they have the ability to do sign-and-trades, meaning they can trade Vucevic (who's on his way out anyway) as cap filler to get someone more impactful.
As it turns out, there are quite a few impactful players whose values have taken a significant hit that could be acquired for much less than they would typically be worth. Morant fits this bill, which is also why Celtics fans would justifiably be against it.
Why a Morant trade isn't so simple
It's been a rough go of it for Morant over these past few years. Since becoming the NBA's darling child four years ago, Morant has been embroiled in off-court controversies and has suffered from rampant injuries. He's had quite the fall from grace, and it would be very much in question
It's gotten so bad that it actually is pretty unclear what his trade value is right now. Memphis is on the verge of completely embracing its rebuild after trading Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., which makes it feel like Morant is next, but where would he go?
Hypothetically, he could return to the high-flying point guard who could sky to the bucket for dunks while being able to take reps from the Jays. That might come in handy with how delicate Jayson Tatum will be going forward.
That kind of scoring presence could help both Jays play off the ball more, making it easier for them to score. It could be a mutually beneficial union, depending on where he is health-wise and whether he can adjust to being the third banana. It's not always that simple, but when it works out, it works wonders.
How would Boston pull this off? A sign-and-trade for Vucevic ($30 million), Sam Hauser (who might be expendable), Payton Pritchard, and Dalano Banton (with no draft assets) gets it done. Memphis may not be too keen on paying him that much, but if it gets Morant off their payroll, and as long as his new deal comes with partial or non-guarantees, they just might be down.
The toughest cut would be Pritchard, honestly, and maybe Stevens works around that, but it would be hard to figure out how. That's why Boston would only do that if they were confident Morant would return to form. At the moment, that's not guaranteed, but the possibility would make something like this plausible.
And if Morant doesn't work out, Stevens can re-route his expiring deal elsewhere
The underrated beauty of Morant is that his contract lasts until 2028, so even if he doesn't work out, the Celtics can look to trade it somewhere else to a team that might be looking for cap flexibility. The odds aren't high that this would work, but if it doesn't, it wouldn't hurt Boston all that much.
Morant would be a high-risk, high-reward addition for Boston, which, even if he fits the mold of the kind of player Stevens has acquired in the past, isn't a sure thing. If the Celtics say no to Giannis Antetokounmpo but say yes to Morant, that will confuse fans to no end.
There's only two reasons why he's being brought up: One, what he's done in the past and two, his value couldn't be lower at the moment. That has enticed Stevens to go out and get players with similar narratives going on about them. He may in fact go for a player like that, and it might not be Morant.
If you're fully against a Morant-Celtics union, that's fully valid. Stevens is smart enough that he would only make a deal like this if he was 100% confident Morant would help the Celtics' ceiling. Right now, despite his accolades, he is firmly in Myles Turner territory, where the idea of him is better than the actual him.
While there is a strong case not to take that chance, there's always the chance it's not over for him just yet. If it's not, he could turn into the best move Stevens has ever made.
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