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Malcolm Brogdon was already traded once this summer... until he wasn't. The Celtics reportedly had a deal in place last month that would have sent Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade that would bring Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.
Of course, that fell apart at the last minute because the Clippers had medical concerns about Brogdon and the Celtics pivoted to a different Porzingis deal that featured Marcus Smart getting shipped out to Memphis instead.
Even though the Celtics had already alleviated their backcourt logjam, many assumed Brogdon would remain on the trade market. After all, keeping a player who knows you were planning to trade him is kind of awkward, right?
Not so fast. A new report from Heavy Sports' Steve Bulpett indicates that a Brogdon trade seems unlikely at this point.
“We asked about him and we were told he’s a valued member of their team,” a league source told Bulpett.
“They said he’s a valued member of their team, and that’s where it ended,” the source added. “I don’t know if that changes down the line, but we didn’t get anywhere. And I’m pretty sure we aren’t the only team that got that response.”
Potential awkwardness aside, hanging onto Brogdon makes a lot of sense for the Celtics. If they did trade him, they'd be left with just Derrick White and Payton Pritchard at point guard and would probably have to turn right around and try to get more guard help.
Brogdon's season ended in disappointment, with an elbow injury seriously limiting him in the Eastern Conference Finals, but it's worth remembering how good he was prior to that. He won the Sixth Man of the Year Award for a reason, and he ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 44.4%.
As for that elbow injury, reports indicate that Brogdon is expected to be fully recovered in time for the start of the season.
The 30-year-old Brogdon is signed for two more seasons at $22.5 million per year.
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