The Boston Celtics took two big steps this week to bolster their bench and 2023 NBA Championship hopes and managed to do both without giving up a ton of draft assets or key players in their 2022 NBA Finals appearance.
But how well did they do with those moves? Perhaps they could have done better with the team by using various team building tools that were available to them (and still are for now) than bartering for the Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon† Were their potential better suited to their $6.5 million taxpayer midlevel exception (MLE) they used to sign veteran attacker Danielo Gallinari?
Let’s take a look at the two trades that settled the Celtics as the centerpiece (we think anyway) of their 2022 off-season.
Danilo Gallinari signing for the mid-level mini exception
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Celtics managed to set a long target for the team on the $6.5 million taxpayer or “mini” center cut in former Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari.
The 13-season veteran has lost some of the mobility that allowed him to play as a winger earlier in his career, but has leaned on his marksmanship and size to expand his ability to win at the NBA level by re-expanding himself. find like a big man. And at 6-foot-10, Gallinari is sized to hold up against all but the strongest players in the frontcourt.
Even still, he’s a bit of a defensive liability, but with the Celtics returning to the NBA’s top defense in the second half of the 2021-22 season, it shouldn’t be hard to hide him in the regular season and Boston a give him another option in the playoffs, even if he will be more of a risk in a seven-game run.
Could the Celtics have found a better option to help out at the mini-MLE price? There were (and are) perhaps sexier candidates like TJ Warren or Montrezl Harrell, but there are also ingrained concerns with both about future availability for very different reasons.
It might have been possible to find a player who could have given more advantage than the Italian veteran, but to begin with, that player has to want to join your team. Add in any potential health or out-of-competition issues, and the fact that Gallinari did indeed want to be in Boston, and this deal looks even better.
Is the player option ideal for the Celtics? Probably not – but we’re not going to squabble over a potentially major title contender signing over what could very well seem like a steal in hindsight.
Figure: B+
Acting for Malcolm Brogdon
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics plunged into the 2022 NBA Finals as their stars lost their legs after a grueling journey to the league’s biggest podium, compounded by constant turnovers, poor late decision-making and a lack of help from their developmental bench.
To remedy that, team president Brad Stevens traded away a big rotation in Daniel Theis, a promising young wing in Aaron Nesmith, and a threesome reserve only playing in the knockout time in Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts and Juwan Morgan plus a top -12 protected 2023 first round pick.
Since the team would likely have tried to get rid of Theis after Gallinari’s signing, adding a 6-foot-5 sized player in Brogdon gives him the ability to play point guard with a small ball forward in some lineups. Boston plenty of options to work with tactically.
The 29-year-old brings maturity and leadership to the team along with playing and shooting at a high level, and despite recurring nagging injury issues, the Celtics’ need for high-level play should be bolstered, allowing them to take their rest. find. star wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum more.
It also gives them a host of rotation options to spell the oft-wounded Marcus Smart and sometimes cold-shooting Derrick White. That the Celtics were able to make this trade without parting ways with Grant Williams or Payton Pritchard, and not with multiple firsts, makes the trade even more impressive for Boston.
Injury concerns and the size of Brogdon’s current contract (about $67 million over 3 seasons) are the only things holding back a perfect assessment of the Celtics’ swap for the Pacers floor general, but we see this as a brilliant deal.
Figure: A
This post originally appeared on Celtic thread.
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