Boston Celtics Rumors: 2 trades that would shore up the C’s guard depth
Boston Celtics potential trade No. 2:
I’ll admit that on the surface this probably looks like a very homer-ish trade in favor of Boston, but allow me to explain it first. The Boston Celtics are looking to add some shooters to space the floor alongside Tatum and Brown. The Houston Rockets on the other hand are deep in a rebuild, and would benefit from clearing some cap space. While moving John Wall would certainly help, getting rid of Eric Gordon’s contract wouldn’t hurt them either.
Gordon is a veteran guard who found himself on the wrong side of the James Harden blockbuster trade from last season. Gordon was part of the 2018 Rockets squad that was just one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals. Now he finds himself part of a Rockets team that is going nowhere, and fast.
Simply put, Gordon’s production is being wasted on Houston. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field and 44.5 percent from behind the arc, both of which are among the best splits of his career. The issue for the Rockets is that Gordon’s costing them $18.2 million this season, and that total is going to increase over the final two seasons of his deal.
This deal would see Houston land Marcus Smart, which would be a big win for Houston. Smart’s current deal is cheaper than Gordon’s, and even if they don’t want him they should easily be able to move him again in another deal to try to land some draft capital. The recently acquired PJ Dozier would get thrown in for salary cap purposes, and with his deal expiring after this season, the Rockets wouldn’t be on the hook for Dozier after this season if they didn’t want to be.
The issue is that Smart for Gordon straight up (which is basically what this deal is) isn’t exactly a fair trade for Boston. I have Houston throwing in a 2023 first round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks to help balance things out, as the pick will most likely be towards the end of the first round due to the Bucks winning pedigree. Houston still has an enviable amount of draft picks saved up, so moving on from one late first rounder won’t be a huge problem for them.
Gordon’s fit on the Celtics is simple; create space for Tatum and Brown. Considering the way he’s shooting the ball this season, Gordon seems more than capable of filling that role. The team’s defense will take a bit of a hit with this deal, but considering how solid the defense has been this season, that’s a hit the C’s can absorb for the time being. Gordon would help Boston’s offense improve drastically, and that’s the goal of the front office heading into the deadline.