Why This Trade Would Benefit The Boston Celtics
There are a variety of areas where the Boston Celtics would benefit from making an upgrade at the NBA trade deadline. It’s clear the team still needs to find a scoring threat on the wing to replace the void left behind by Gordon Hayward’s departure in free agency.
After a genuinely terrible start to the season, Kelly Oubre Jr is averaging 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He wasn’t fitting in well with the Warriors’ half-court offense but has managed to improve since that period.
Kelly Oubre Jr. would provide the Celtics with a great spark on both ends of the floor as he also brings some energy with his defensive ability. He’s not particularly fantastic in any one area but he’s never going to play complacent or risk-averse offensively.
There are a variety of directions the Celtics could go in order to address the need to improve their starting group. If they were to pursue a wing, going for a defensive stopper type that lacks much impact offensively is one option. However, another option is to add a legitimate offensive threat that can hit open shots and attack off the bounce.
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By pursuing a trade for Kelly Oubre Jr., the Celtics would be putting their $28.5M trade exception acquire they created by executing the sign-and-trade deal for Gordan Hayward to end up in Charlotte. There wouldn’t be a robust commitment since he’s on an expiring deal.
