Celtics’ Trade for Malcolm Brogdon Draws Rave Reviews from NBA Twitter
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Fresh off the disappointment from their loss in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics are making moves to get over the final hurdle.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics are acquiring Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers for Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan and a 2023 first-round pick.
One of the few flaws with Boston’s roster last season was the lack of a traditional point guard who can create offense with his shot and by passing.
Enter: Malcolm Brogdon.
The 29-year-old averaged 6.3 assists per game in three seasons with the Pacers. He had a 50-40-90 season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018-19 and owns a 37.6 percent career success rate from three-point range.
Adding to the good vibes for the Celtics is what they had to give up for Brogdon.
It was an open secret that the Pacers were looking to trade at least one of Brogdon and Myles Turner, but Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens didn’t have to give up one of his top eight players to make the deal happen.
There are sound reasons why Brogdon may have been available at such a low cost in talent. He is owed $67.6 million over the next three years and has missed 141 games between the regular season and playoffs since 2017-18.
The Celtics’ roster is equipped to keep Brogdon’s legs fresh for an entire season because of how much depth they have.
Oh, and they appear to be adding even more depth. Brian Robb of MassLive.com reported Danilo Gallinari is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Celtics when he clears waivers.
Boston was arguably the best team in the NBA from Jan. 15 until running into the buzzsaw that is Golden State in the Finals. They finished 29-9 over the final 38 games in the regular season and had the second-best net rating in the league overall (plus-7.5).
Boston’s defense should remain a strength with a healthy Robert Williams III, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
Brogdon’s offensive upside in the backcourt solves one of the few weaknesses on the roster, as long as he can stay on the court.
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