A blockbuster trade proposal has the Boston Celtics landing one of the NBA’s premier point guards.
The Celtics, second in the Eastern Conference, are led by the dynamic scoring duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Once again, the reigning Eastern Conference champions are in the running to win the NBA Championship.
The 2023 trade deadline has long passed, but it’s not too early for president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to think about potential offseason trade scenarios.
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed a blockbuster trade scenario in which the Celtics land All-Star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the aforementioned Jaylen Brown and forward Grant Williams:
“The Celtics have two major incentives to do this deal.
We’ve already gotten into the first one. Brown seems likely to eventually leave. The Celtics might as well move him before he does. That much is obvious. Here’s another relatively obvious fact: Damian Lillard is currently a more impactful player than Brown. This is also an all-in push toward the NBA championship for the Celtics.
Lillard isn’t simply the better player, either. He’s also a better fit for Boston. This team could use an elite ball-handler in half-court sets. Lillard fits the bill. He and Jayson Tatum ought to make up the backbone of a serious title contender.”
Next season will be the last of four-year, $115 million extension Brown signed with the Celtics in 2019. Last year, Lillard agreed to a two-year maximum extension that keeps him under contract through 2026-27.
The Trail Blazers are well out of playoff contention and nowhere close to competing for a championship. Despite Lillard’s admirable loyalty to the organization, the Trail Blazers could very well end up deciding to unload their All-Star guard to commence a rebuild.
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Brown remains a vital member of the Celtics, but Stevens could consider trading the 26-year-old if the two sides can’t reach an agreement on a contract extension. Perhaps it’ll largely depend on how far the Celtics go in the upcoming postseason.
With the postseason out of reach, the Trail Blazers announced earlier this week that they’re shutting down Lillard for the year. He finished 2021-22 with point-per-game averages of 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
