The Boston Celtics may be just two wins away from winning the 2022 NBA championship title, but they continue to be mentioned in various trade speculations. Regardless of the outcome of their ongoing NBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors, some people think that the Celtics shouldn't stop finding ways to improve their roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In the past months, the Celtics have already been linked to some big names who could become available on the trading block this summer.
Potential Trade With Indiana Pacers
One of the ideal trade partners for the Celtics this summer is the Indiana Pacers. In a recent article, Andrew Hughes of Fansided's Hardwood Houdini came up with a hypothetical blockbuster trade idea that would enable the Celtics to acquire Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers in the upcoming offseason. In the proposed trade scenario, the Celtics would be sending a trade package that includes Al Horford, Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for Turner and Brogdon.
Myles Turner Fills Al Horford's Spot
Though he's currently having a remarkable season, swapping Horford for Turner should be a no-brainer for the Celtics. Turner would give the Celtics a new starting center that perfectly fits the timeline of Tatum and Brown. The departure of Horford won't deeply hurt the Celtics since Turner offers a similar skillset as him.
Like Horford, Turner is also a very reliable scorer under the basket, a great rebounder, a decent on-court facilitator, an elite defender, and a legitimate floor spacer. This season, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Celtics Get A True Point Guard
Brogdon would also be an incredible addition to the Celtics. They may currently have Marcus Smart on their roster, but he's more of a combo guard than a true point guard. The potential arrival of Brogdon in Boston would lessen the burden on Smart's shoulders in terms of playmaking, ball-handling, scoring, and defending the perimeter. Celtics head coach Ime Udoka could either use Brogdon as Smart's starting backcourt partner or as his primary backup point guard next season.
Why The Pacers Would Make The Trade
The proposed trade would undoubtedly make the Pacers a less competitive team in the Eastern Conference, but it would enable them to acquire assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process.
"The Pacers are rebuilding, but they would bring in plenty of plug-and-play options in this deal.," Hughes wrote. "Al Horford, if not immediately released in his contract year, would give the Pacers a two-way threat in the vein of the recently departed Domantas Sabonis. If Horford was caught, Daniel Theis could provide a much watered down version of the same skillset. Aaron Nesmith could be the steal of the deal if he could improve his efficiency after a rough shooting start in Boston (42/32/79 splits)."
]]>The Inquisitr
