You know that Devin Booker-to-the-Celtics trade proposal we saw yesterday? I hate it.
I saw some on Twitter saying the Suns would say no to this. Suns GM James Jones should be fired on the spot if he said no to this hypothetical trade. Booker is a fine player, don't get me wrong. Booker is a player who is going to command a huge package in a potential trade. There might only be 10 players on Earth who the Celtics would trade this type of package for. Booker should not be one of them.
Jaylen Brown may end up being the better player when it's all said and done. That's not a crazy sentence to type. Brown will routinely be placed on the opponents best wing player (go ask Pascal Siakim how good of a defender Brown is) while still being asked to play a big role on offense. Booker is an elite scorer who has shown little ability to impact the game defensively. Do Celtics fans really want a guy who complained about being double teamed in practice?
Of these five assets to give up, two are starter-level assets in Brown and Smart. The book is still out on Romeo Langford. The Celtics could use these two first-round picks in a package to move up this year into the top 10. This is a package that should land you a superstar like Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant. Not a one-way player like Booker.
This is the "big splash" the Celtics should be looking at:
It doesn't feel like Utah will give Rudy Gobert the Supermax contract. It seems like the beef between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, stemming from the Jazz's COVID outbreak back in March, may be too difficult to overcome. I would not pay $30-plus million to a big man not named Joel Embiid. Gobert is an elite rim protector. But today's NBA game does not pay massive money to big men who can't shoot. And Gobert can not shoot outside of about eight feet. This would be a massive change for Brad Stevens, who likes his bigs to be able to shoot.
I think Utah would want Robert Williams over Daniel Theis. The Timelord could take the next step in his development and become a legit, starting big man. I like Theis but he is who he is at this point. Williams and Mitchell would be a fun pair to watch going forward. Ed Davis might be on his last life in the basketball world. He would become the Celtics third big man in this hypothetical move.
Utah would absolutely want picks in addition to Gordon Hayward and Robert Williams. I'd give up two first-rounders in a package like this. You might be thinking the price here is too steep. But Hayward walks next year with you getting nothing in return. Williams is a lottery ticket while the first round picks Ainge has accumulated are $1 scratch-offs at best. If a third first round pick is a breaking point, what the hell are you missing out on? Danny Ainge picking another Guerschon Yabusele? No thank you. This is a move to win now.
I believe Gobert makes the Celtics the favorites in the East in 2021. Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra down in Miami would have nightmares in trying to figure out how to score vs Boston if this blockbuster trade went down. Let's have some fun, Danny. Why not?