Getty Justin Holiday, Boston Celtics
Over halfway through the season, the Boston Celtics sit 23rd in three-point percentage and have shown no signs of turning the tide.
The issue the Celtics face is that beyond their two All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, their best shooters are sophomore’s Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith. As such, it’s clear that a veteran shooter is high on the list of priorities for Boston heading into the February 10 trade deadline.
We’ve all seen the trade rumors, linking the Celtics with every disgruntled star and role player imaginable. But one Eastern Conference GM recently shared his thoughts on a potential trade with Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. A trade that would net the team a veteran shooter while also helping them shed some salary to get under the luxury tax.
Celtics 2022 Trade Deadline Assets Pyramid t.co/yIjKdkEu68
“I think they do not want to send a message to that team like, we’re giving up on the year, we dumped Schroder for nothing. I think they would like to find a return for Schroder, assuming they can shed some money along the way. If you can get Justin Holiday from the Pacers, for example, they want two second-rounders for him, you send Schroder and another salary to Dallas, and Dallas can dump a couple of guys along with two second-rounders to Indiana. Everyone wins,” The Eastern Conference GM said.
To neaten things up, the trade ends up looking like this;
- Boston receives: Justin Holiday
- Dallas Mavericks receive: Dennis Schroder and PJ Dozier
- Indiana Pacers receive: Sterling Brown and two future second-round picks
Does Holiday Fit Within Boston’s Offensive System
While adding a player such as Holiday makes sense from a financial standpoint, and the player’s three-point scoring numbers look good on paper, there are some concerns about the type of role he would have in Boston.
Holiday has started 36 of his 45 games this season, averaging 11 points, 1.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 28.5 minutes of play. Furthermore, despite being listed as both a shooting guard and small forward, Holiday has spent most of his career in Indiana playing the small-forward position, which creates questions around his suitability at the two spot.
Unfortunately for Holiday, the Celtics roster is already saturated with talent at his position, and it’s unlikely he’s talented enough to dislodge the current crop of players in the rotation.
When discussing this potential trade on an episode of Heavy on the NBA, Steve Bulpett explained his concerns, “My first question is will he get the opportunity in Boston? You’ve got a couple of guys now, he didn’t look great last night, and his outside shot has been clunky. He has only had a couple of attempts each time, talking about Aaron Nesmith, but I think the guy can play. He needs opportunity, and he needs it to be a steady opportunity.”
Sean Deveney also noted that Holiday “Maybe a little repetitive with Josh Richardson,” and that’s where most Celtics fans’ concerns would lie, primarily due to the latter’s recent performances off the bench for Boston.
If Not Holiday Then Who?
The problem with trade discussions is that you can never please everyone. Someone will always find a reason why a player isn’t the right fit or wouldn’t improve the team. Or perhaps it would mean another member of the rotation becoming marginalized for the remainder of the season.
However, there are some names that many tend to agree would be surefire upgrades, depending on the cost of doing business, of course. Guys like Norman Powell, Buddy Hield, and Luke Kennard are all talented shooters with the required talent to demand a rotation spot – but there’s no telling if they’re available via trade or if the Celtics have the necessary assets to get a deal over the finish line.
With just under two weeks until the February 10 trade deadline, the Celtics could potentially make a move to shore up their lackluster shooting, but it seems unlikely. According to recent reporting from ESPN’S Bobby Marks, the Celtics are interested in getting under the luxury tax, which makes a potential Holiday deal more logical in the short term.
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