The Boston Celtics roster didn’t need much heading into the NBA offseason. They had just advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost a hard-fought series to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
They had a great team top to bottom, but a few tweaks here and there are never a bad thing. Adding another ball handler to the mix wouldn’t hurt, as well as adding some more scoring punch in the frontcourt. They accomplished both very early in the offseason.
Danilo Gallinari was released after a trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the San Antonio Spurs. He wasted little time landing with the Celtics, addressing their need for scoring in the frontcourt. After that, the Celtics pulled off a trade of their own.
They landed Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Nik Stauskas, Juwan Morgan, and a 2023 first-round pick. Brogdon is an excellent addition to the Boston backcourt and, at that price, is a worthwhile gamble despite the injury concerns that he has had.
Brogdon missed 46 games last season and has missed at least 16 games in five consecutive seasons. But he brings some more playmaking and ball-handling to the Celtics lineup without sacrificing size, as Payton Pritchard saw his role decrease as he was targeted by opponents in the postseason.
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Brogdon isn’t here to take the point guard job away from Marcus Smart, instead, be a complementary player, working off of each other. It was something he recently discussed.
“I’m going to push Marcus,” Brogdon said. “I’m going to embrace him. He’s going to embrace me and we’re going to push each other. I really think he and I will play well together. We have different skillsets, but we both want to win so bad it doesn’t matter. All of the other stuff is distraction and noise. We’re going to come together and make this thing work.”
Malcolm Brogdon and Smart have the size and skill sets to play alongside each other should Ime Udoka choose to deploy them together. They are pretty much interchangeable whether you want them playing on the ball or off of it.
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This is an opportunity that Brogdon is excited about, as the Celtics are legitimate NBA title contenders. Going from a rebuilding situation with the Pacers to this is everything a player could want.
“This is everything I’ve wanted — to be able to get back to this level, to be able to compete with guys that want to win a championship and that are all in, that want to sacrifice to win,” Brogdon said. “So it’s very fortuitous for me to be here, and I think it’s the perfect time for me.”
Malcolm Brogdon is hoping that he is the missing piece for a Boston Celtics team that got so close last season. He will be an integral part of their rotation and, hopefully, no longer being relied upon to play heavy minutes as a starter. It will help keep him healthy and available throughout the season.
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