Getty Dorian Finney-Smith, Boston Celtics
As the Boston Celtics continue to stumble through their second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, you couldn’t blame Brad Stevens for having one eye on the off-season.
With so much talent at the guard positions and some reliable depth at center, the wing position remains the biggest area of need for Boston, one that could make a difference next season.
According to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, Dorian Finney-Smith should be the Celtics ‘dream target’ as his two-way play would make him the ideal backup for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH TO THE RACK.
NETS LEAD BY 11 ON TNT.
“Move past Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Shamrocks have next-to-nothing at the wing spots,” Buckley wrote. “Dealing for Dorian Finney-Smith would change that…The three-and-D swingman, who could be available given the Brooklyn Nets’ wing depth and need for assets, can shift about anywhere defensively while typically providing a reliable three-ball at the other end.”
Finney-Smith has participated in 26 games since joining the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 35.1% from the field and 30.6% from deep.
New Jaylen Brown Trade Proposal Hits Twitter
On May 10, a new trade proposal involving Jaylen Brown began to circulate on Twitter, having originally been shared by Colin Cowherd on ‘The Herd. The trade proposal looks like this:
Boston Celtics receive: Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins
Golden State Warriors receive: Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon
“Jaylen Brown is perfect for the Warriors.”
— @ColinCowherd on why it’s time for the Celtics to shake things up…
“If you brought Jordan Poole and [Andrew] Wiggins in from the Warriors, Tatum would be clearly the best player,” Cowherd said. “He would have a wing defensive specialist; Wiggins would take some of the defensive pressure off. Poole’s not nearly the defender Jaylen Brown is but he’s got a lot of alpha; he’s clearly not as good as Tatum. You wouldn’t have that issue about ‘Is it a Tatum team or a Brown team?’ It would be a Tatum team with more defensive help and some offense [with] Wiggins on the wing.”
Brown has one more year remaining on his current contract, at which point, he will become an unrestricted free agent, which could tempt Boston into once again fielding trade calls this summer.
Analyst Predicts Celtics Could Make Changes
According to CLNS Media’s Adam Kaufman, the Celtics could be in line to make some significant changes to their current roster if they fail to progress past the second round of the playoffs, where they currently trail the Philadelphia 76ers 3-2.
If the #Celtics do lose this series, this is gonna be a fascinating offseason. The kind that could result in monumental changes.
“If the Celtics do lose this series, this is gonna be a fascinating offseason,” Kaufmann Tweeted. “The kind that could result in monumental changes.”