The Boston Celtics 2021-22 season has not gotten off to a great start. They are 4-6 through their first 10 games, and now they are set to be without Jaylen Brown for the next few games due to a hamstring injury. We have seen signs of improvement lately, especially during their recent three game road trip (particularly against the Miami Heat), but the results still aren’t exactly what the team and their fans are looking for.
As a result, the front office, led by new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, has already started looking into making some moves to improve this roster. Recent reports have suggested that Stevens has approached the Philadelphia 76ers to see where they stand on their unhappy guard Ben Simmons. Simmons would be a perfect fit in Boston’s system, and it’s a surprise it took them this long to reach out and see what the deal was with Simmons.
The problem is that the 76ers have said any deal for Simmons would have to involve Brown, who has been arguably Boston’s best player to start the season. Brown for Simmons straight up just makes no sense for Boston, and unless the 76ers create a deal the C’s can’t turn down (which seems extremely unlikely) the Celtics would be stupid to even think about dealing Brown.
76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey seems to think he’s going to get a huge return for a player that is getting paid millions of dollars to do nothing this season, and it’s not going to happen. The bet here is he caves in eventually, and realizes he’s not going to get what he wants for Simmons. Once that happens, the Celtics should be ready to pounce. Here are two potential trades involving Simmons that could happen at some point this season.
Boston Celtics potential trade No. 2:
I’ll admit right off the bat that I would not be in favor of this deal. And I know I just went on a big tirade about how Brown shouldn’t even be discussed in talks for Simmons, but at this point it has to be considered a possibility, albeit a very, very remote possibility, that he would be included in a deal for Simmons. And in the event he does, this is probably the best return the Celtics could get.
Adding Simmons would give Boston a point guard who could command the offense in a way that no one currently on the offense can. Simmons is an elite distributor of the ball, and can get to the rim at will. When he gets to the paint, it forces defenses to collapse, and opens up shots at the perimeter.
The problem for Boston is that their roster as currently constructed doesn’t have a lot of players who can consistently hit threes. They rank 20th in the league in three point shooting as a team, as they are hitting just 33.2 percent of their shots from behind the arc.
Enter Seth Curry, who is currently shooting 48.3 percent from behind the arc, which is the eighth best percentage in the league. Curry would give Boston a knockdown three point shooter that they have been missing for quite some time now.
Maxey is another young guard that would join a suddenly crowded Celtics bench. Maxey has excelled with the extra minutes he’s gotten during Simmons’ absence, and he has proven to be a skilled scorer. Maxey shores up the guard depth, and would allow the team to explore making another move to help offset Brown’s departure on the wing.
Dealing Brown away would obviously be a massive blow and a huge risk considering he is just 25 years old, playing the best basketball of his career, and has a remarkably team friendly deal. Richardson has been solid this season, and would probably only be included to match salaries at this point considering the 76ers dealt him away for Curry during the 2020 offseason. Dealing Brown would hurt, but if the Celtics decide to do so, this is probably on of the better deals they could get.
Boston Celtics potential trade No. 1
This is a trade package that makes much more sense for both parties involved. Giving up Brown for a player who has yet to take the court this season just doesn’t seem realistic. Starting off with Marcus Smart and building from there seems like the best way to go for both teams, and maybe the discussions between these two teams will get to that stage at some point.
Realistically speaking, Smart is a better fit than Simmons in Philly’s system. The 76ers like to operate through Joel Embiid, who does a lot of his work in the paint, which is similar to Simmons. They are both great players, but they cancel each other out in a sense when they are on the court together. Adding Smart, who is a much more effective pick-and-roll player, would probably help Embiid take his game to the next level.
Richardson again gets sent over for salary purposes, and Grant Williams gets thrown in as an enticing prospect who could probably contribute off Philly’s bench right away. Right now they are being forced to give Paul Reed, who was the 58th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, more minutes than they would probably like. Swapping Reed for Williams would be a win for Philadelphia.
The piece that really helps balance out this deal is the two first round picks. Boston may end up collapsing in on themselves, which would only add to the value of those picks. Of course, they could take off and elevate themselves to championship status too, but the 76ers are already winning with Simmons on the sideline. Why not pick up a couple of picks to help you add to an already strong core?
Maybe it’s the Celtics bias in me, but this seems like a fair deal for both sides. Boston gets a player who can come in and fix their issues on both ends of the court, and the 76ers strengthen their rotation and add a couple of picks that could become very valuable down the line. Yet until the 76ers front office gives in, there’s a very low chance this deal would come to fruition, but you never know what will happen in the NBA, and that’s the beauty of the league.