Boston Celtics Receive: G Tim Hardaway Jr, F Josh Richardson, DAL 2021 2nd Round Pick, DAL 2022 1st Round Pick
Dallas Mavericks Receive: G Kemba Walker
Trading Kemba Walker may very well be what is best for the Celtics, especially since they would be getting Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Richardson, two proven scorers on the wing. As stated before, the Boston Celtics have one of the worst benches in the entire NBA and down the stretch in the playoffs, this is going to wind up coming back to hurt them if they do nothing to improve it.
Right now, their best bench player is Payton Pritchard, who is in his rookie season as the 26th overall pick in 2020. Adding Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Richardson not only gives the Celtics two more scoring options off the bench, but allows Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to relax a little bit more.
Last season with the Mavs, Hardaway Jr. averaged 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shot 43.4% from the floor and 39.8% from three-point range. He has been essential to the Mavericks and has almost acted as their third scoring option at times.
Josh Richardson is a guy the Mavericks traded for in the offseason, but if they had the opportunity to land a player like Kemba Walker, they would likely be alright giving him up. Last season with Philadelphia, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and shot 34.1% from three-point range.
The best part about Richardson’s game is that he is an excellent perimeter defender and as a result of his 6’10” wingspan on the wing, he has the ability to guard any team’s best offensive weapon.
Bringing in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Richardson for bench depth could do wonders for the Celtics and bring their offense to new heights, as a lot of the Celtics’ offense last year revolved around three guys: Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum.
Opening up the offense to new options and having 6, maybe 7 guys on any given night that could score in double-digits is what makes the Celtics a legit championship contender. Improving defensively and scoring wise off-the-bench is what can push Boston over the edge and finally back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
