Though the Boston Celtics and Pal George have publicly embraced their unexpected partnership, it’s an open secret across the NBA that the nine-time All-Star is likely just a one-year rental.
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs are probably regretting giving a massive four-year, $221M extension to De’Aaron Fox. After a disastrous Finals appearance against the New York Knicks, Fox’s contract risks becoming a giant albatross — peaking at a staggering $61M in his age-33 season.
There’s a world where the Celtics and Spurs swap their respective headaches and both walk away as winners.
Celtics Trade Idea Lands De’Aaron Fox
Celtics would receive: De’Aron Fox, Keldon Johnson
Spurs would receive: Paul George, Sam Hauser
As part of the deal, Celtics would also receive reigning Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson, who can slide into the role of a starting forward next to Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, De’Aaron Fox and Mitchell Robinson (or Neemias Queta), with Payton Pritchard leading the second-unit troops.
Why the Celtics Do It
The Celtics ranked 26th in drives to the rim last season, and that was even with Pritchard and Jaylen Brown playing downhill frequently. As currently constructed, they project to get worse with their dribble-penetration: Tatum isn’t the biggest driver of the basketball and a 36-year-old George has lost his blowby ability.
Fox will help tremendously in this regard, taking pressure off Tatum, White and Pritchard and allowing the Celtics to play at a faster pace. He also can play as a combo guard next to White and Pritchard, giving Joe Mazzulla plenty of intriguing options.
Meanwhile, Johnson is the exact Swiss Army knife piece that could fill some of the void left by Brown. While he’s nowhere nearly as gifted offensively, he’s an excellent perimeter defender who can lock up the opponent’s best scorer on a nightly basis (especially in lineups without All-Defensive ace White).
The trade obviously carries risks, but a 28-year-old Fox and a 26-year-old Johnson project as better fits next to Tatum on the new-look Celtics. The latter is also on an expiring $18M salary, making him expendable in a year if he doesn’t fit the culture.
Why Spurs Do It
Dylan Harper. Dylan Harper. Dylan Harper. The 20-year-old showed megastar potential during the Finals, but could not be fully unleashed due to Stephon Castle and Fox in the starting unit. Another year of the Rutgers alum coming off the bench seems like a waste of time for both the Spurs and the son of Bulls legend Ron Harper.
The Spurs would gladly swap Fox’s long-term money for George, who has a $56M player option in 2027-28. George’s elite perimeter shooting — hitting 2.7 threes at a 40% clip last season — would solve San Antonio’s most pressing issue. During their Finals loss, their core four (Victor Wembanyama, Fox, Castle and Harper) slumped from outside, combining for a abysmal 28-of-106 (.264) shooting from behind the arc. George projects to fit nicely next to Wemby, Castle, Harper and Tobias Harris (or Devin Vassell) in a potential new Spurs starting unit.
Veteran sharpshooter Sam Hauser would also help fix the Spurs’ shooting woes.
Celtics Trade Pitch Lands De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson in Blockbuster Move