The shocking trade that sent star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks has concluded a nearly three-month saga filled with drama and player empowerment-driven demands that even touched on the Boston Celtics as a potential trade partner briefly.
Lillard, who had four years remaining on his supermax contract, insisted on being traded to a specific team, the Miami Heat, but ended up in Milwaukee due to Portland’s preference and perhaps a dash of bad blood between the two clubs as a workable deal failed to materialize out of Miami. Now, veteran floor general Jrue Holiday finds himself a likely short-term Blazers player as part of the deal that sent Lillard to Milwaukee.
Buy Celtics TicketsWith the Celtics now reportedly interested in Holiday and the sentiment mutual, The Athletic’s John Hollinger concocted an improbable — but CBA legal — trade proposal to land the UCLA alum in Boston.
C Lab linked up with HoopsHype cap guru Yossi Gozlan and Celtics Blog’s Jack Simone; tune into this late-night episode to get your bearings on a rapidly shifting NBA landscape as we do the sa… https://t.co/0iROOv0sfV
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
“The Celtics can get to a salary match on Holiday, but it’s complicated,” writes the Athletic analyst. “Malcolm Brogdon would be involved, but he makes $22 million in 2025-26 and that’s $22 million more than the Blazers want to take back.”
“Additionally, the second contract in a Boston deal has to be either Robert Williams or Al Horford, which nukes the Celtics’ frontcourt depth … unless they make the salary match Brogdon, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, and a signed-and-traded Blake Griffin instead. A six-for-one. Whew.”
“Unlike a lot of contenders, the Celtics still have all their future picks to trade, plus they turned Marcus Smart into a future first from Golden State that is now available to put in a deal like this,” he adds.
While many experts believe the Bucks are now favorites to come out of the East, there are key factors to consider. https://t.co/zUPlFpuGZ9
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
“Boston could offer five firsts if it wanted: 2024, ’26, ’28 (lesser of their own or San Antonio’s), and ’30, plus the Warriors’ top-4 protected pick this year,” notes Hollinger.
“The problem for Portland is Boston is good and should be for many years with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still in their mid-20s. The picks the Blazers would get would almost certainly be in the 20s. Ditto for that Warriors pick, too. It almost doesn’t matter the quantity, because what are the odds of getting a lottery-level pick quality out of this? I’d much rather own fewer end-of-decade picks from, say, the Clippers.”
“Between that and the fact that extending Holiday would make the Celtics shockingly expensive in two years, I’m a little less bullish on this one,” he admits.
The Celtics, who have an interest in trading for Holiday per multiple reports, would have to get creative or brave in order to make a competitive offer. https://t.co/LKBdvJdpX8
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
“But if Boston could pull this off while keeping Williams and Horford out of the trade, oh my goodness this defense,” envisions the former Memphis Grizzlies exec. “Nobody would ever score on them. And in terms of the sheer quantity of draft picks, this is the way for Portland to get the most.”
Of course, what Portland wants may not be the most draft picks, Brogdon, and/or the potpourri mentioned by Hollinger above.
It also requires Griffin to play ball, and while he may not mind a few million dollars to do almost nothing. But, if he does want to join the Celtics later this season…
All the above falls apart, as it likely will regardless. But it’s fun to dream!
How does this trade shake up the Eastern Conference and the league for the 2023-24 NBA season? https://t.co/gEyK1dao2y
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
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