With he NBA Trade Deadline is less than 24 hours away, here’s one move that would put the Boston Celtics over the top in the East
The Boston Celtics are sitting pretty. They are 37-20, second place in the Eastern Conference and only four games back in the loss column of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They have four main player assets that teams would love to get their hands on (Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown), oh and the gem of all gems, the Brooklyn pick.
The NBA Trade Deadline is less than 24 hours away (Thursday, Feb 23) and if Boston is serious about winning a championship this year, they need to bigger and better defensively.
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The Celtics are 27th in the league in rebounding, 23rd in steals, and 20th in blocks. Yes, they have an elite offensive flame thrower who is going bananas every fourth quarter in Isaiah Thomas, but he is ranked dead last in defensive rating. Last in the entire league.
Two all-star caliber wings are being talked about during this crazy stretch of NBA Trade Deadline coverage. Jimmy Butler and Paul George. The Celtics need to target one of these wings in order to have a chance at dethroning the King. Simple as that.
Boston could actually keep two of the four players mentioned above! The Brooklyn pick would have to be in this trade, but if you’re getting an all-star wing who is top 10 in the league in both offense and defense, it ensures you that you have a chance of going into a 7-game serious with Cleveland.
Both Butler and PG13 are terrific wing defenders which is in high demand in todays NBA. You need guys that can be versatile and guard multiple positions. Crowder is also this way, but look at his offensive stats compared to Butler and Paul George.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Butler | 2016-17 | 27 | 51 | 36.6 | .452 | .337 | .482 | .487 | .868 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 24.5 |
| 2 | Jae Crowder | 2016-17 | 26 | 47 | 32.5 | .469 | .405 | .551 | .582 | .866 | 5.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 13.8 |
| 3 | Paul George | 2016-17 | 26 | 50 | 35.7 | .446 | .383 | .479 | .512 | .914 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 22.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/22/2017.
It is obvious that these two will bring you significantly better offensive production. With rebounding being a glaring weakness of Boston, including Jae Crowder in this trade would also boost your rebounding.
Butler is listed as 6-foot-7 and PG13 6-foot-9. Brad Stevens may even get to play around with a small ball lineup with one of these guys playing the 4 while Horford can be a versatile center.
Getting one of these wings might also mean you are forced to include either Marcus Smart or Avery Bradley. Both are known for being scrappy defenders who go all out every play, which is the main reason why they earned their minutes for Stevens.
Bradley hasn’t been able to stay healthy this season, but when he has he’s been brilliant. He has boosted his offensive production averaging two more points per game than last year, and his rebounding by eight boards per night. Him being out is a big reason why they are 27th in team rebounding.
Marcus Smart is a bulldog. A guy you love to have on your team but hate to play against. He makes winning play after winning play. Smart is a player that might not start, but will be in the game when the game is on the line and you need a big stop. Boston fans are in love with his passion and tenacity, which will be hard to let go if he ends up being in this trade.
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There are endless possibilities that Boston has at their finger tips. Plenty of assets and picks to trade before the NBA Trade Deadline to make certain that they are successful here and now. Stay tuned until the very last second on Thursday afternoon to see if this already star filled trade deadline gets even jucier with a Paul George or Jimmy Butler trade to the C’s.