Indiana Pacers Receive: G Marcus Smart, G/F Romeo Langford, 2021 lottery-protected 1st Round Pick

Boston Celtics Receive: G Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo is owed $21 million this upcoming season and with the Celtics wanting to hold on to their core of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart is the obvious choice to be traded, especially since Oladipo plays the same position as him. 

Romeo Langford was drafted 14th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and did not play much during his rookie season due to undergoing surgery to repair the scapholunate ligament in his right wrist. It is unknown when he will be ready to go this upcoming season, but he is expected to rejoin the team at some point in 2021. 

The Pacers obviously do not have any plans to bring Oladipo back at this point in time, especially after they declined to offer a contract extension last season, so why not trade Oladipo and get a valuable first-round pick out of it, as well as an impact player like Smart? 

The Celtics’ first-round pick this year is likely to be a late first-round pick that they could use to continue to draft young, highly talented players. Not to mention, Langford possesses a lot of potential if he can stay healthy and played his college ball at Indiana University. 

With all the injury concerns the Pacers have had over the years, hitting the refresh button and bringing in Smart, as well as some youthful talent, may be the way to build moving forward for a team that has lost in the first round of the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. 

Let’s take a closer look at this trade and why it would make sense for both the Pacers and Celtics.