Getty Robert Williams III
Should the Kristaps Porzingis trade work out as well as they had hoped, the Boston Celtics may decide they need more backcourt depth than frontcourt depth. Sports Illustrated’s Dalton Trigg proposed a four-way trade that would give the Celtics another guard and a scorer in exchange for Robert Williams III and Payton Pritchard.
Trigg proposed the following trade between the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, and Houston Rockets.
Celtics Receive: Kevin Porter Jr., 2028 Second-Round Pick (via Miami)
Mavericks Receive: Buddy Hield, Robert Williams
Pacers Receive: Christian Wood, Payton Pritchard
Rockets Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green
Trigg then explained why the Celtics would agree to trade Williams in such a deal, though he did not explain why they would want Porter.
“As good as Robert Williams can be, he gets injured a lot and could have a diminished role in Boston after the arrival of Porzingis.”
In Porter’s case, he’s only 23 years old and has proven his scoring abilities. During the 2023-23 season, Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 36.6% from three.
Considering Williams’ and Porzingis’ injury history, it would be hard to see the Celtics taking away from their backcourt to add Porter.
Blake Griffin Loved Playing for the Celtics
Whether he decides to remain with the Celtics or not, Blake Griffin made it clear to Dan Rappoport of Barstool Sports how much he loved playing in Boston during the 2022-23 season on “Fore Play Golf.”
“Dude, Boston is unbelievable. Living in Boston, playing in Boston was, like, one of the best experiences. Dude, the fans are incredible. Having a team that is so championship-focused. One of the best parts (is) the players on that team are just like such a great group of guys,” Griffin said.
Griffin also singled out Jayson Tatum for his humble attitude despite being one of the league’s biggest stars.
“A guy like Jayson Tatum, a legit superstar, and just like so humble. Talks to everybody on the team. Talks to the whole staff. He would go sit and have a conversation with whoever. He’s not only hanging out with like Marcus (Smart) or (Jaylen Brown).”
The Celtics may use one of their last two roster spots on keeping Griffin, which could prove useful if they want frontcourt depth more than anything else based on his familiarity with the team.
Celtics Insider Skeptical of Potential TJ Warren Addition
On August 25, MassLive’s Brian Robb explained why he doesn’t believe the Celtics should consider adding TJ Warren to the roster.
“I’m hesitant to give some to Warren, given that a title contender in the Suns let him walk this offseason when they only had minimum contracts to spend. That’s a sign they think he’s likely done, so I question whether the Celtics need to add that unless he’s had a big health bounce back this year,” Robb wrote.
Warren was once an efficient scorer in the NBA, averaging 19.8 points for the Pacers during the 2019-20 season, but after missing nearly two consecutive seasons, his point average dropped to 7.5.