Analyst tabs the next potential Jaden Springer type Boston Celtics trade splash
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley tabbed A.J. Griffin as the next Jaden Springer-type addition for the Boston Celtics over the offseason -- and he assessed the trade price for the Atlanta Hawks forward as one nearly identical to Springer's this past trade deadline.
"Much like their deadline deal for Jaden Springer, a trade for AJ Griffin could be a chance to buy low on a young player with untapped potential," Buckley prefaced before saying, "And if the Celtics happened to get the best out of Griffin, they'd suddenly have a cost-controlled, three-and-D wing added to the equation.
"Just last season, the 6'6" swingman carved out a rotation role as a rookie, netting 39 percent of his long-range looks while showing flashes of defensive ability and some off-the-dribble utility. He's an interesting young player, and given what it would cost to get him (a pair of second-round picks might do it), the potential reward could easily outweigh any risk."
Jaden Springer deemed less valuable than second-rounders Boston Celtics gave up by Daryl Morey
Springer was acquired for cheap given the energy he is able to bring Boston's rotation when called upon -- his eight minutes in crunch-time against the Hawks on March 25 in which he scored a pivotal transition bucket and grabbed a rebound and a block springing to mind -- but the executive who traded him, Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, believes the Sixers won the trade.
“We had to look at, what are the odds Jaden Springer — who I think has a great future — helps our playoff rotation in the one, two, three-year horizon,” Morey said, via Sam DiGiovanni (h/t MassLive). “And what are the odds a second-round pick helps us? And we thought the second-round pick helped us more. And that’s just the reality, it allows us to maybe get a veteran at next year’s deadline, things like that.
“We did it. It sucks. Jaden’s going to be really good, I think. I think his timetable is a little pushed out, though. Our evaluation was that his timetable to help a playoff team is farther than what the second-round pick can do for us.”
If Brad Stevens can convince Landry Fields the same about Griffin, then the Cs would add another cost-efficient, team-friendly deal to Boston's books; which need them badly given the rising salaries of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, more than likely Jrue Holiday, and potentially Derrick White in the coming years.