It’s going to be a tough season for Boston Celtics fans. Gone are the fan favorites Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, while Jayson Tatum will presumably miss most, if not all, of this upcoming season.
What’s certain is that this current group, led by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, won’t attain the team’s winning expectations. The Celtics made the Eastern Conference Finals six out of the last nine seasons and have won 50 or more games for four consecutive seasons.
This season will be a retooling season, with the team still hopeful of making the playoffs in a weak conference. If they still want to be a semi-competitive team, they should sign this former Celtic who remains unsigned.
Celtics Should Sign Malcolm Brogdon
Celtics fans were ecstatic when the team acquired Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers in 2022. Brogdon was great in his lone season with the Celtics, averaging 14.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, shooting 48.4% from the field and 44.4% from three.
Brogdon made the sacrifice of coming off the bench to try to help the Celtics win the championship. His play wouldn’t go without recognition as he was named the 6th Man of the Year for the 2022-2023 season.
Unfortunately, his tenure had a sour ending after the team initially tried to trade him for Kristaps Porzingis, which led Brogdon to be unhappy with the organization. Just a few months later, Brogdon would be part of the trade package in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
In the two years since being traded, Brogdon has played a combined 63 games for the Trail Blazers and the Wizards, averaging 14.6 points, 5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. Brogdon had to take a leadership role for both teams as they opted to play their younger players.
Still a free agent, the Celtics should go after Brogdon. Although he was upset with the Celtics for trading him, he’s since made peace with their decision. If Brogdon wants to get more playing time, returning to the Celtics would be his best landing spot.
The Celtics could use Brogdon’s scoring ability after losing three of their top five scorers. The addition of Brogdon would bolster their backcourt depth and add another scoring option off the bench alongside Payton Pritchard.
Brogdon’s asking price wouldn’t be too big considering backup guards Tyus Jones and Tre Jones signed for an annual salary between $7-8 million. However, the Celtics are currently $331,950 over the second apron and would have to clear cap space to sign Brogdon.
The Celtics' offseason plan was orchestrated on parting from their championship core to get under the second apron. With Jayson Tatum presumably missing all of next season, it would make no sense for them to go over the second apron and sign Brogdon when they aren’t a championship caliber team.