A couple of weeks ago, the Boston Celtics did a late-night three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards which sent the NBA world into a frenzy. In this article, I will give teams a grade, and discuss the trade in depth.
Before this trade happened, the Boston Celtics were originally planning to do a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards. The Celtics would give up reigning sixth man of the year Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers, Danilo Galanari to the Wizards along with Amir Coffey, Marcus Morris, and the 30th Pick in the 2023 NBA draft and the Celtics would get Kristaps Porziņģis. However, the trade fell down due to Malcolm Brogdon’s injury status throughout his career. His latest injury was a partial tear in his elbow against the Miami Heat.
The Wizards still wanted to give Kristaps Porziņģis away and the Celtics wanted him, but due to a salary dispute, the Celtics needed a third team, and the Memphis Grizzlies stepped up. Ja Morants’ 25-game suspension meant that they needed a point guard. For hours, the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Wizards talked until a little bit after midnight, the trade was agreed. The Celtics got Kristaps Porziņģis (via Wizards), the 25th pick in the 2023 NBA draft (via Grizzlies), and a 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected, via Warriors). The Grizzlies got Marcus Smart (via Celtics) and the Wizards got Tyus Jones (via Grizzlies), Danilo Gallinari (via Celtics), Mike Muscala (via Celtics), and the No. 35 pick in the 2023 Draft (via Celtics).
Now that we have discussed the trade I am going to give the three teams a grade
Celtics: A-
Adding Porziņģis will help them be a force in the paint, with Robert Williams III and Al Horford, so it will be hard for other teams to score in the paint and they will have to try to score in another way. They also get lots of scoring and the age fits in perfectly with Tatum and Brown. Also, for the two first-round picks, it is highway robbery. The Celtics used those picks to draft Jordan Walsh, who looks like the next Marcus Smart, so I guess that was their plan for the whole time. The reason why I didn’t give the Celtics an A+, is because of the injury concerns, and they gave up lots of their depth and need to get some more in the offseason, as Muscala and Gallinari left. They also need to place Derrick White into the new starting role or get him to be like Marcus Smart for the upcoming season.
Wizards: B+
The Wizards’ reason for this trade was simple: they wanted to get rid of Kristaps Porziņģis and start rebuilding. They got a pretty good haul and can trade Gallinari and Muscala for other assets. They got a good, young point guard in Tyus Jones which they can use. But the only factor is, didn’t you think the Wizards could’ve got more for Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis?
Grizzlies: B-
The Grizzlies got a solid player in Marcus Smart who can help the locker room after Dillion Brooks left. He is an excellent defensive anchor and also having Jaren Jackson Jr to help Smart is going to make a lethal defensive show. But, they gave up on Tyus Jones, a point guard who averaged almost 16 points per game when starting for the Grizzlies without Ja Morant. Marcus Smart cannot score that much so how will they manage the first 25 games and how will they fit Marcus Smart into the rotation?
So, that is it for this trade. I think it is pretty evident that the Celtics won, although all teams need to do more improvements. Check out my other NBA blogs, or other blogs for more content!