Does this trade make sense for the Boston Celtics?
If an avenue presents itself for the Boston Celtics to acquire Damian Lillard without giving up Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, this would be the best Christmas present that they could ever get! Al Horford, Dennis Schroder and the others involved in this trade are great talents, but we are talking about Damian Lillard here.
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Lillard has averaged 27.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and has shot 37.5% from three-point range, making him one of the best scorers the league has seen over the last decade.
Obviously his struggles this season are well-documented, but we are talking about a 6x All-Star and real MVP candidate year-in and year-out who is only 31-years-old and under contract through the 2023-24 season. Lillard also has a player option for the 2024-25 season that he could opt into wherever he is as well.
Pairing Lillard with Brown and Tatum would make the Boston Celtics virtually unguardable because someone will always be open.
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You cannot double-team all three guys and even against the league’s best defensive teams, the reason the Celtics would be superior is because of the fact that all 3 players can create for themselves.
Jayson Tatum is one of the best one-on-one players in the league, Jaylen Brown is more than capable of getting to his spots on the floor and we have all seen what Damain Lillard can do running around on the perimeter with the ball in his hands.
Boston would suddenly become an elite-level offensive team, something that they really have not been in years. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are great players in their own right, but they cannot carry this team as it is constructed right now.
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They have reliable players on their roster and the Boston Celtics are not bad at 16-17, but adding this third All-Star, superstar talents would make them so much better than the rest of the NBA and immediately make them true title contenders this season.
Giving up Pritchard, Nesmith and potentially three first-round picks is a lot of future value to sacrifice, but having Lillard, Brown and Tatum together for at least the next 5-6 years is well worthwhile.
