Does this trade make sense for the Boston Celtics?
The Boston Celtics’ biggest need as a franchise is obviously having Jaylen Brown healthy and on the court next to Jayson Tatum, but this team really needs a reliable point guard that can grow with these two All-Stars. Brown and Tatum are 25 and 23-years-old, respectively, making Dejounte Murray (25) the perfect guard target for this team.
He not only fits in age-wise, but he is the full package in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency.
Being a triple-double threat at the point guard position, Murray would take a lot of pressure off of both Brown and Tatum to do everything for this team and he would replace Marcus Smart as the team’s lead defender.
Murray currently ranks tied for 6th in the league in steals per game (2.1) and has a current defensive rating of 103, which would be tied for the second-best mark on the Celtics right now behind Al Horford.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could San Antonio Spurs Make “Surprising” Dejounte Murray?
Being rated slightly higher defensively this season compared to Marcus Smart and being a much better offensive talent than Smart, Dejounte Murray is the perfect trade target for the Boston Celtics, which is why this trade definitely makes sense for them.
Keeping Smart is also a very smart thing for this team to do, but in order to have a shot at acquiring Murray, they would almost definitely have to trade away Marcus Smart. As for Nesmith and the first-round picks, they bring future value to this franchise, but do not really help the Celtics win games right now.
This Boston team is built to win right now and as a result, their front-office has to be willing to make moves to set this roster up for success. They can definitely make the playoffs the way they are constructed right now, but Brad Stevens has not been a stranger to making big moves in his first year in a front-office role, which is why he could look to make a big splash ahead of the trade deadline.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could San Antonio Spurs Make “Surprising” Dejounte Murray?
Having a $17.1M TPE from signing-and-trading Evan Fournier to the Knicks this past offseason, the Celtics would be able to absorb Murray’s salary for this season and they would also be able to absorb Keita Bates-Diop’s salary as well via a $5M TPE from trading Kemba Walker to the Thunder.
In terms of everything he does on the floor and the fact that he is only 25-years-old, Dejounte Murray would be a “homerun” acquisition for this Boston Celtics team, but the chances of the Spurs trading their young guard remain low.
