Why the Trade Benefits the Boston Celtics
The clear headliner in this trade would be the Boston Celtics as they would land a former NBA MVP in James Harden. For a team coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, that’s a fascinating possibility to think about.
There would be some intriguing potential lineup combinations available for the Celtics to use by acquiring both Harden and Young. Boston could roll out Harden at the point guard position and have a lineup that would thrive at switching on defense while still having lots of offensive firepower.
It wouldn’t be easy to part with Marcus Smart when considering how important he has been to the Celtics organization throughout his NBA career. However, the value of landing a genuine top-five player in the league is simply too great to pass up.
Not having to give up Jaylen Brown in this particular scenario makes it a lot easier for the Celtics to consider pursuing Harden. Boston would be well insulated from potential risk in the event the trade weren’t to work out quite as well originally anticipated.
