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The Los Angeles Clippers may have already rejected a trade with the Boston Celtics this summer due to fears about Malcolm Brogdon’s health status, but the two parties are being urged to give such a transaction another shot.
On July 13, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a much simpler deal compared to the failed multi-team exchange that would finally send the veteran guard out west.
Boston Celtics receive: Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, 2024 second-round pick (via TOR), 2027 second-round pick (via MEM)
Los Angeles Clippers receive: Malcolm Brogdon
Citing LA’s desires to upgrade their backcourt arsenal coupled with the C’s need for more depth on the roster (especially within their injury-risk frontcourt headlined by Kristaps Porzingis and Robert Williams III), Buckley suggests that this trade could prove to be mutually beneficial.
“The Clippers seemingly covet an upgrade at point guard—they’ve also been linked to James Harden—and a healthy Brogdon could do the trick. He offers a wealth of experience and the ability to impact the game on or off the ball, making him a snug on-paper fit with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George,” Buckley wrote.
“The Celtics, meanwhile, might want more reliability than Brogdon can offer (he’s only played 70 games once) or could think they have enough backcourt depth to get by without him. if they’re willing to let him go, flipping him for wing depth and draft picks could make sense. Batum checks a ton of boxes as a Swiss Army knife, and Covington pairs disruptive defense with a fiery three-ball.”
In turn, the win-now Celtics would certainly be beefing up their second-unit rotation while also adding much-needed long-range weapons (both shot above 39 percent from distance last season), though, simultaneously, the move would create yet another vacancy within their already depleted guard arsenal.
Should Brad Stevens and company actually pursue such a move, they must strongly consider acquiring more help at the point guard spot.
Celtics Attended John Wall’s Private Workout
In the event that they did part ways with Malcolm Brogdon, or any other member of their backcourt rotation this offseason, perhaps a realistic pivot option could be to pursue current free agent and former All-NBA guard, John Wall.
In fact, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported, Boston was among several organizations that attended the veteran’s recent private workout.
Boasting stellar career averages of 18.7 points, 8.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and just shy of a block, the five-time NBA All-Star and a former All-Defensive selection saw 34 games of action with the Clippers this past season, posting averages of 11.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds before being traded and, ultimately, waived by the Houston Rockets.
Though he most certainly is beyond his prime, perhaps taking a low-cost swing on a fallen star like John Wall could be an intriguing move for this Celtics team to make, especially if they part ways with yet another guard like Buckley is proposing in his trade idea.
Kelly Oubre Jr. Tabbed as Option for Celtics
Of course, should the Celtics not wish to look to the trade route in an effort to fill out their depth chart, particularly when it pertains to their frontcourt rotation, the free agency market still seems to have a few noteworthy options available for the taking.
One option could prove to be eighth-year forward, Kelly Oubre Jr., as Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer suggested in a July 8 episode of “The NBA Front Office Podcast”
“Thinking about the Celtics and the fact that, yeah, they do kind of have an opening in the frontcourt,” Fischer said. “But [Oubre] can be a small-ball four; I would say all three of [Boston’s bigs] are centers at this point. Al Horford’s shooting is interesting enough where you’re able to play him and Rob together, but Boston would make some sense to me for him.”
The 27-year-old went on to have a career-best campaign in 2022-23, as he posted impressive per-game averages of 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals while logging 32.3 minutes a night.
Unfortunately, he only managed to suit up in 48 total games on the year due to injury which, in turn, could very well be a reason why he has yet to be scooped up off the open market.
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