The Boston Celtics are already one of basketball’s best teams, and adding two very good bench pieces could help get them an NBA Championship.
The Celtics are one of basketball’s deeper rosters, but with an abundance of young players and the possibility of having three first-round picks in this year’s draft, there is no reason not to go all-in on this year. In this deal, the Celtics pay a relatively low price for two players who have very valuable skillsets into the postseason.
Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker are one of the better starting backcourts in all of basketball, but making sure there is enough depth behind them is key. Marcus Smart has the ability to play both guard positions and defend the one through three, but adding another supporting guard could be massive for the C’s. In adding Kris Dunn, the Celtics would have yet another lockdown defender for their playoff run and could find themselves to be one of the league’s best defensive units.
As for Denzel Valentine, his ability to play both guard and forward along with his marquee ability to shoot the long ball. Although their starters shoot the three quite well, floor spacing off of the bench has been a bit of a struggle for Boston. By adding Valentine, the team would have a very solid shooter and shot creator to help push them over the edge to win a title.
As stated earlier, the price here for Boston is extremely fair. Vincent Poirier and Javonte Green are afterthoughts in the Celtics’ rotation. Robert Williams rarely finds any significant amount of minutes as well, although he is a former first-round pick. Additionally, giving up the least valuable of their three first-round selections is no big deal for a contending team that simply does not need that many draft picks.
The Bulls would have to see this deal as a win as well, as the team is able to flip two expiring contracts for a first-round pick in this year’s draft and a former first-round selection. Williams was a projected lottery pick who ended up slipping all the way to 27 in 2018, yet has still had trouble finding time behind the Celtics’ established bigs.
At only 22 years of age and still on a rookie deal, the risk is very low here for Chicago while the reward could be great. Adding a first-rounder is always a good idea for young teams as well. As for Poirier and Green, their purpose in this deal would be simply to balance out Dunn and Valentine’s larger salaries.