The ending to the Celtics 2023 season will live long in fans’ minds. From the lows of going down 0-3 to the Miami Heat, to evening the series at 3-3 with a buzzer beater from Derrick White, to Jayson Tatum getting hurt early in game seven, which led to the Heat advancing to the finals. The question going into the offseason was what moves Brad Stevens would make knowing the new collective bargaining agreement makes it harder to stack talent.
On July 22, there was a trade in principle to send Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers, which would have seen the Wizards send big man Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. However, the Clippers decided to back out of the trade, citing a concern with the injury Brogdon sustained. With a few hours left to make the trade, Stevens pulled off a shocking move, sending Marcus Smart to Memphis to bring Porzingis to Boston.
When a player is close to being traded and then the trade is called off, some rehabilitation needs to be done to fix the potential strain on the relationship between the player and team. The opinion is split on whether or not Brogdon will be traded before the deadline this year, but it’s important to remember the player Brogdon is.
Brogdon is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and showed he is still a very good player in the league. Averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds all while shooting 48% from the floor and 44% from deep, Brogdon is one of the best bench options in the NBA.
Although Brogdon has battled injuries that had him sidelined for an extended period throughout his career, when he’s on the floor he’s a difference-maker. When Smart was initially traded, the debate was whether Joe Mazzulla would give the keys to Brogdon or White as a starter. Mazzulla quickly silenced the debate at Jaylen Brown’s contract-extension press conference when he named White the starter, meaning Brogdon will continue to come off the bench.
If Brogdon can stay relatively healthy, especially come playoff time, his ability to score and get to the rim will be a difference-maker. If Brogdon was healthy during the Heat series, the Celtics wouldn’t have crumbled against the zone since Brogdon is not only a willing passer, but one of the few Celtics that can get into the pockets of zones and make a play, whether it’s to score or assist.
Players know that the NBA is a business and they will be traded if the right opportunity comes along. If Brogdon isn’t fully invested in the team because in the back of his mind, he believes he may get dealt, it will be no surprise to see Stevens offload him before the deadline. However, after losing a guard like Smart, losing another point guard in Brogdon would leave the Celtics short of starter–worthy point guards.
If Brogdon is fully invested in this team, then the Celtics should be one of the favorites to win the championship. On paper, there aren’t many teams that can stack up against the talent and depth Boston has. The window to win a championship is small in the NBA, especially with the CBA making it harder for teams to acquire talent. The Celtics still have a two- to three-year window to win with this current group of players. Luckily for Celtics fans, one of the best duos in the league, Brown and Tatum, will be locked up for the foreseeable future once the Celtics offer Tatum the max contract at the end of this season.
The Celtics roster is almost set ahead of the 2023-24 season and unless a big trade opportunity presents itself, Boston should stand firm. The core players the Celtics have should be enough to bring home banner 18.
