Getty Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Boston Celtics
Brad Stevens has been busy reshaping the Boston Celtics roster this summer after they failed to return to the NBA Finals last season.
The Celtics have already added Kristaps Porzingis, Oshae Brissett, Dalano Banton, and Jordan Walsh to their rotation while saying goodbye to Marcus Smart and Grant Williams. However, Sports Illustrated’s Eric Jay Santos believes there is one more move to be made, and it would involve parting with Malcolm Brogdon.
Santos’ proposed trade looks like this:
Celtics Receive: Tre Jones, Zach Collins
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Malcolm Brogdon
Part of Santos’ reasoning for why Boston would be interested in acquiring the two San Antonio Spurs rotation players is that they could both fit into the system Joe Mazzulla will likely implement next season.
“The 23-year-old guard is known to have excellent court vision, most notably as the pick-and-roll ball-handler…The 6-foot-11 center is an all-around offensive force and above-average in post defense,” Santos wrote.
Tre Jones will enter the first year of a two-year contract extension worth $20 million this season, while Zach Collins will be entering the final year of his $22 million contract.
The Celtics have already tried to trade away Malcolm Brogdon this summer before the LA Clippers pulled the plug on the deal due to concerns regarding his current health. As such, it would be interesting to see whether the Spurs were willing to enter into negotiations for the current Sixth Man of the Year.
Celtics Unlikely to Trade Malcolm Brogdon
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who was speaking on a June 22 episode of Get Up, the Celtics may struggle to find a willing trade partner for Malcolm Brogdon this summer.
.@WindhorstESPN breaks down the trade details of the Celtics acquiring Kristaps Porzingis ⤵️
“Brogdon has a health issue, a health issue that, as I understand, is so significant that not only can the Celtics not do this trade, there’s probably no Malcolm Brogdon trade that they can do in the short term,” Windhorst said.
During the Eastern Conference Finals, Brogdon suffered a partial tender tear in his elbow, which limited his ability to make an impact against the Miami Heat and is potentially the reason Boston will struggle to offload the veteran guard this summer.
Gabe Vincent Hints at Celtics Locker Room Issues
During a recent appearance on “The Old Man & The Three With JJ Redick & Tom Alter,” former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent shared that he believes there was something wrong within the Celtics locker room during last season’s Eastern Conference Finals run.
“It almost seemed like to me, truthfully, they had something going on over there. Despite our gameplan, so much has to go right to win in this league, and if you aren’t fully right internally, it shows in different ways,” Vincent said. “I think, last year, they were better defensively when we lost to them in the East Finals. This past year, something didn’t seem as right, whether it was their rotations or connectivity, whatever the case may be. I think any bit of weakness we saw, we jumped on it.”