NBA Trade Rumors: If Malcolm Brogdon wants a trade, there are several players the Boston Celtics could look to target.
All of a sudden, there are growing whispers that the Boston Celtics may need to move on from Malcolm Brogdon. He’s reportedly unhappy with how the Celtics tried to trade him (before the deal ultimately fell through) and it could end up leading to a divorce between the two sides.
It seems like the relationship is still potentially salvageable but if it isn’t, the Celtics will need to try to make a smart deal if they trade him. Let’s explore five players they should target in any Brogdon trade.
5 Players the Boston Celtics should look to replace Malcolm Brogdon with
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
Even though the Boston Celtics are unlikely to admit it now, I firmly believe that they’re going to regret trading Marcus Smart. And I’m not just talking about his presence in the locker room. Smart was one of those do-it-all types of players that you hate to play against but love when he’s on your team. For as good as Kristaps Porzingis could end up being for Boston, losing an intangible player like Smart could end up hurting them more than many realize.
The Celtics aren’t going to find an ideal player that does everything Smart did on the floor for them, but there is one Smart-lite player that could help on that front – Alex Caruso. I’m not sure if Chicago would be open to trading Caruso but perhaps they would if it meant them acquiring such a productive offensive player like Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon fits perfectly in the DeMar DeRozan/Zach LaVine timeline and would give the Bulls a better chance to compete in the Eastern Conference this season than Caruso would.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets
Depending on what exactly the Boston Celtics would be looking for as a potential return for Malcolm Brogdon, could a player such as Spencer Dinwiddie make sense in a swap? Acquiring Dinwiddie, who is on an expiring contract, would give the Celtics added financial flexibility (or relief) after this season. Brogdon, on the other hand, still has an additional year remaining on his contract after this season.
If the Celtics are looking for some cap relief before, perhaps swapping Brogdon for Dinwiddie would make sense. And let’s be honest, swapping Dinwiddie for Brogdon would be that much of a drop-off for Boston from a basketball perspective. If the Celtics were looking for a deal that makes sense from a basketball standpoint and a financial one, perhaps this is one that could come to fruition.
The big question is whether Brooklyn would be interested. Perhaps the Celtics would have to staple a future second-round pick to get the Nets to bite, but there’s an argument to be made that Brogdon is an upgrade from Dinwiddie. The Nets would upgrade their roster and raise their ceiling a tad without parting ways with any long-term asset; they’d sign up for that I’d imagine.
Monte Morris Detroit Pistons
If the Boston Celtics got to a point where they feel like they’re ready or have to move on from Malcolm Brogdon and wanted to make a swap for a more natural backup point guard, there is one player in Detroit that could make a ton of sense. Monte Morris is a player that the Pistons could end up trading before the NBA Trade Deadline and would make sense as a potential target for the Celtics.
Morris is also an expiring contract, which would naturally be attractive to the Celtics from a financial standpoint, and the Pistons could benefit from having another veteran option behind Cade Cunningham. Brogdon would also give the Pistons another possible trade asset that they could cash in during the offseason or at next year’s NBA Trade Deadline as an expiring contract.
But again, this is the type of deal that Boston would likely have to attach a future second-round pick to in order for Detroit to absorb the money. Quite frankly, I’m not sure the Celtics would be all that willing to do – unless the situation between them and Brogdon is completely untenable.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
As a rumor heading into the offseason that never came to full fruition, it was reported that the Orlando Magic were looking to add a veteran guard before the start of the season. The Magic didn’t add any veteran guard via trade or in free agency but it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that they could end up revisiting that possibility. Especially considering that it’s likely going to take some time for Anthony Black and/or Jett Howard to carve out meaningful roles for the Magic.
That could open the door for Malcolm Brogdon as a potential target for the Magic. I can’t help but wonder if the Magic would be open to trading a player like Cole Anthony. The Magic likely have to decide between keeping Markelle Fultz or Anthony, especially with adding two guards in the 2023 NBA Draft.
If the Magic would rather keep Fultz, they could look to package Anthony for a veteran point or combo guard like Brogdon. Anthony would give the Celtics a young guard they could continue to develop into a starter for the team down the line. Especially if the Celtics aren’t convinced that Derrick White is the point guard of the future (who has two years remaining on his contract).
De’Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers
As one of the more underrated two-way guards in the league, the Boston Celtics could look to target De’Anthony Melton in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. Melton could be an effective backup for Boston and the Sixers would get their potentially new starting point guard in Brogdon. This is a deal that, with the James Harden situation still unresolved, makes a lot of sense for both sides.
The big question is, as bitter rivals, whether either team would want to help the other. But in a world where the Sixers do end up trading Harden for pennies on the dollar (to LA or any other team), adding Brogdon as his replacement would help raise the ceiling for this season as a stopgap option. Quite frankly, he may be the best one that is currently out there (assuming the Celtics place him on the trade block).
Melton would be a quality role player for the Celtics while also not needing the ball in his hands to be all that effective. But, once again, this potential deal could very well come down to this – why would the Celtics want to help the Sixers and why would the Sixers want to help the Celtics? And I don’t have an answer for that.