The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have both been disappointing teams this year. They have both been play-in tier teams, even though both were expected to have seasons where they were trying to contend.
Many people have suggested that both franchises needed to make a trade to fix the issues with their franchises. A trade idea from Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report featured the two franchises collaborating with one another and trading stars, with Anthony Davis going to the Celtics and Jaylen Brown going to the Lakers. This trade would definitely be intriguing and would shock absolutely everyone.
Boston Celtics Receive: Anthony Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kent Bazemore, 2027 first-round pick (LAL, top-3 protected)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Aaron Nesmith, 2023 second-round pick (POR)
While obviously, this trade isn’t realistic at this moment, there could be reasons for doing it. Buckley suggested that Jaylen Brown would take care of “shot-creation, three-point shooting, and perimeter defense” for the Lakers, and added that the Celtics trading for Anthony Davis would get rid of the “overlapping concerns” that have plagued the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo in Boston.
The Lakers are woefully short on trade chips, but dangling Anthony Davis would open up the tier of elite targets otherwise inaccessible to them. Jaylen Brown looks like he was built to cure their biggest issues, simultaneously scratching itches for shot-creation, three-point shooting and perimeter defense. He is young enough (25) to run the floor with Russell Westbrook and skilled enough to work half-court sets with LeBron James.
Marcus Smart is the point-of-attack stopper the Lakers have missed since splitting from Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope over the summer. Spacing could get tight with a Smart-Westbrook backcourt, but if Smart gets back to the 34.8 clip he shot over the past three seasons, that could ease some concerns. Sophomore Aaron Nesmith might add a bit of breathing room, too, if he ever lives up to his predraft reputation as a fireballer from range.
The Celtics were linked to Davis back when he wanted out of the Big Easy, and substantial interest could remain. The overlapping concerns of the Brown-Tatum combo would be out the window with Davis, an intimidating paint presence who can finish above the rim and find offense away from it. Having him and Robert Williams III in the same frontcourt would basically put a barricade between opponents and the basket.
Talen Horton-Tucker has hit some road bumps in his third season, but he’s still just 21 years old and flashes enough shot-creation to let imaginations run wild about his future. The future pick, which wouldn’t convey until James was 42 years old and (presumably) done with the Lakers, could have considerable trade value for Boston to pick up a replacement floor general. Kent Bazemore, added primarily as salary-filler, has shown three-and-D competence in the recent past.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have both been rivals for a long time, and only Rajon Rondo has won titles as both a Celtics and a Laker. But even rivals can sometimes help one another in the league, and this potential trade would be an example of that.
While there could be positives in making this trade, there is no doubt that neither franchise is currently willing to make something like this happen. However, nothing is impossible in the NBA.
