Getty Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards, who would land on the Boston Celtics in this trade.
The Boston Celtics are in a great spot this season. They currently hold the best player in the league and are sitting pretty with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way. That being said, there’s always room for improvement.
With the trade deadline roughly a month away, Boston could look to keep their eye on the market. Adding some depth at the wing position could be smart, especially considering the plethora of guards they already have on the roster.
Here’s a potential three-team trade that would also involve the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors.
Celtics receive: Kyle Kuzma
Wizards receive: Gary Trent Jr., Danilo Gallinari, 2029 2nd-Round Pick
Raptors receive: Rui Hachimura, Payton Pritchard, Justin Jackson, 2025 1st-Round Pick (Top-10 Protected via BOS)
For the Celtics, a deal like this would see them push all of their chips on the table in an attempt to compete for a championship. Kuzma is almost certainly going to decline his player option and enter free agency at the end of the year, but at the very least, this could be an elite rental option. Plus, Boston could potentially pay to keep him on board past this year, but they would have to go deep into the tax.
Washington would switch up their rotation in this deal. Kuzma has made it fairly clear that he doesn’t plan on re-signing with the Wizards, and trading away Hachimura would also allow them to avoid extending him. Trent would step in as a top-notch rotational piece, and Gallinari could play solid minutes for them next year.
Lastly, for the Raptors, this trade would help them look to the future a bit. Adding Hachimura would replace the now-injured Otto Porter Jr. and could develop nicely in Toronto. Pritchard would also greatly improve their guard depth behind Fred VanVleet.
Danilo Gallinari Labeled as Solid Celtics Trade Piece
Boston doesn’t have many great trade assets on the roster at the moment. Pritchard is clearly one of the best, but Gallinari could, unfortunately, also be a trade option. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston noted that he could be a solid asset, even though trading him before he ever suits up for the team would be a tough thing to do.
“It might be somewhat cold to trade him as he rehabs without having never played a minute in a Celtics jersey,” Forsberg wrote. “Alas, it goes back to the bottom line: The Celtics are on a quest for a title, and you have to use every asset available. Gallinari’s $6.5 million salary creates avenues for adding talent that might preserve a diminished draft stash and potentially keeps from adding to a stiff luxury tax bill.”
Celtics Could Trade Payton Pritchard for Jae Crowder
A deal for Kuzma would help the Celtics a ton, but another potential trade target, according to Bobby Krivitzy of Sports Illustrated, could be Phoenix Suns forward and former Celtic Jae Crowder.
“Another intriguing potential reunion would be with Jae Crowder, who remains separated from a Suns team that could use him in their rotation,” Krivitzky wrote. “Barring an unlikely resolution that keeps Crowder in the desert, expect him to get dealt by the Feb. 9 trade deadline…However, along with Pritchard, Crowder figures to cost the Celtics a future first-round pick.”
