3 Boston Celtics who'd need to be included in Kelly Olynyk trade

The Boston Celtics landing Kelly Olynyk would mean giving up on the team's two strongest second-unit shooters, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, or their only 2023 draft pick, second-rounder Jordan Walsh, according to Inside The Celtics' Bobby Krivitsky.

"As someone who can contribute as a playoff rotation member, space the floor, and play the four and the five spots, the ten-year veteran fits the role Boston should target," Krivitsky prefaced before saying, "However, Olynyk's on an expiring $12.2 million contract, and the Celtics would need to send out slightly north of $11 million to acquire him.

"Even if they gut their extended rotation, and there's a case for doing so in a case like this, unless they bump someone up from a two-way deal, they'd have to include Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser, or Payton Pritchard."

Boston Celtics taking steps back trading away young talent for Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk is, at best, a short-term rental who would be on the bench during pivotal postseason contests like Daniel Theis was during the 2022 postseason. There's value in bringing on a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option, but giving up a long-term building block to do so takes it away.

Pritchard and Hauser are cost-controlled complementary pieces who are now in their fourth and third seasons in Boston, respectively. You can't replicate reps, and the C's best players have shared the floor and locker room with the pair during a conference-winning season and a near-conference-winning season. Perhaps Walsh could be that one day as well.

Giving up on these players to pull off a complicated deal for Olynyk is not in the team's best interests long-term. If Danny Ainge gives up his own former draft pick during his days as Boston's general manager for cheap, Brad Stevens should play ball.

But Pritchard, Hauser, and even Walsh, push the price out of "cheap" territory.

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