Boston Celtics Rumors: 2 guards the team should trade for right now
The Boston Celtics are gearing up for the 2022 NBA Draft. After trading away their first round pick as part of the Derrick White trade at the trade deadline this season, they are only left with the 53rd overall pick of the draft, which comes in at the backend of the second round.
As the C’s gear up for the draft, the focus is more on what type of trades they could make, rather than who they will be selecting with their lone pick. Boston has a couple of trade exceptions they need to use before the start of free agency, and the draft is the perfect time to put them into play. With teams across the league potentially looking to offload talent during this time, here are two guards Boston should look into trading for right now.
Boston Celtics trade target No. 2: Mike Conley
There is a ton of unrest surrounding the Utah Jazz right now. There longtime head coach, Quin Snyder, abruptly resigned a few weeks ago, and there have been tensions bubbling under the surface between their star guard Donovan Mitchell and pretty much the entire Jazz organization for a couple seasons now. That could result in a complete rebuild for them this offseason.
Regardless of that, Utah has been trying to force three guards in Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley to have huge roles in their rotation, and it hasn’t really worked. Conley signed a three-year, $68 million deal with the Jazz just last offseason, but after another disappointing playoff performance, there’s a good chance Conley or Clarkson will get moved this offseason.
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Of the two, Conley would have much more value for Boston than Clarkson, and his offensive playstyle is exactly what the team needs. Conley doesn’t need to shoot every possession to have an impact on the game, but when he does, it typically goes in. He shot 43.5 percent from the field, including a deadly 40.8 percent from behind the arc.
Conley also is more of a playmaker than any guard on the Celtics roster. He averaged 5.3 assists per game last season, but he was usually forced to play as an off-ball shooter alongside either Mitchell or Clarkson. With the ball in his hand, Conley could create offense for Boston’s top players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in a way that Marcus Smart or Derrick White can’t, while also being a good enough shooter to the point that defenses can’t outright ignore him.
A trade package would probably involve draft picks and somebody like White or maybe prospects like Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith, but if Utah wants to move Conley it would make the Celtics life easier in terms of making a deal work. Conley is a grizzled veteran who could give Boston the offensive firepower it needs to take the next step forward as a title contender.