The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA right now and are expected to be in contention for the 2025 NBA Championship. Although Jayson Tatum‘s ankle injury could scupper their hopes this season, the Celtics will feel confident about their core remaining competitive for a couple of years to come. But that might not be the best move.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and OKC Thunder have clearly found themselves on level footing with the Celtics already, and they’re younger squads with room to grow. The Celtics are expensive and might not be a sure thing as title contenders for a team expected to cost over $500 million next season. To justify the cost, they need to have the star power to supplement it.
Nick Wright recently suggested that the Celtics could be linked to Kevin Durant, who’s expected to leave the Phoenix Suns in the summer. If the Celtics were actually interested in doing so, it might require a complicated trade like this to pull it off.
Trade Details
Boston Celtics Receive: Kevin Durant ($54,708,609), Grayson Allen ($16,875,000), Oso Ighodaro ($1,955,377)
Phoenix Suns Receive: Jrue Holiday ($32,400,000), Kristaps Porzingis ($30,731,707), Sam Hauser ($10,044,644)
This is just one way of constructing this trade, but it would still struggle to be legal as there’s a $450K difference in salaries. However, offseason flexibility would allow both teams room to find a way to match salaries, similar to how the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves did for Karl-Anthony Towns last summer.
The Celtics Form An Unbeatable Top 3
The Boston Celtics are built to be a championship-winning franchise, as shown by their success last season. But there’s been a regression from some of their key performers, primarily Jrue Holiday. With Kristaps Porzingis having his own issues and Derrick White’s production dropping off slightly, this core might not be built to be a dynasty, especially if they can’t defend their title due to Tatum’s potential injury layoff.
Kevin Durant is averaging 26.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season. All good moments for the Suns this season have been with Durant available on the court, with him being arguably their best player. However, he’s also the one they tried trading away in the winter and will be the one they likely have to move, given he’ll be on an expiring contract.
Durant would slide into the starting five next to Jaylen Brown and Tatum on the wing, with White likely remaining as their two-guard and Payton Pritchard getting promoted to starting point guard in Holiday’s absence.
The team will have to address adding a center, but they’ve already been running experimental lineups with Porzingis playing just 36 games this season. Oso Ighodaro can address that, with the rookie center averaging 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds this season.
The Suns Add Championship-Winning Depth
The Suns might be in need of draft assets, but they genuinely can’t ask for any in this deal, given the value they’re getting. Not only are they moving off undesirable contracts like Grayson Allen, but they’re also landing three win-now stars who can help Devin Booker contend in the short term.
Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 19.4 points and 6.9 rebounds this season, although his availability has been limited. Jrue Holiday is averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, but his best asset on the Suns will be being the defensive half of a backcourt alongside Booker. Sam Hauser needs to be included for salaries, averaging 8.1 points on 41.4% from three this season as a wing shooter.
This deal will give the Suns a new lease on life, being able to run more dynamic lineups with improved depth. Losing Durant is tough, but it also seems to be an inevitability.
Holiday adds backcourt defense like they haven’t had alongside Booker ever, with the same being true for a dynamic center like Porzingis. Hauser won’t be a major difference-maker, but the forward’s shooting is a huge asset that the Suns can maximize.
A Blockbuster Move With Great Risk
This trade is highly unlikely to happen. It doesn’t seem like the Celtics’ style to get rid of championship-tested players for a player like Durant, who has admittedly bounced around the NBA over the last eight years. He’s still an All-NBA caliber player, but he isn’t a guaranteed championship either.
This deal involves more risk for the Celtics than the Suns, as the Celtics actually have a much farther fall down the pecking order if this deal fails. Losing Durant would at most drop the Suns from a Play-In Team to a lottery team, so it might be better for them to take the multiple win-now players instead of hoping Durant re-signs after everything that’s happened.
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