Proposed Trade Sends Celtics Two 3&D Wings for Malcolm Brogdon

With Marcus Smart gone, the Boston Celtics will go into the 2023-24 season with Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard as their most proven guards on the roster. However, if they decide they need more proven depth at the wing than in their backcourt, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a trade that would give them just that.

Buckley proposed the following trade between the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

Celtics receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale

Nets receive: Brogdon, 2024 Warriors First-Round Pick (Top-4 Protected)

Buckley explained why the Celtics would entertain trading Brogdon after trading Smart.

“If Derrick White has a leap in him and Payton Pritchard is ready to fill a regular rotation role, then the Celtics could withstand another backcourt subtraction,” Buckey wrote in a September 13 story.

Buckley added why Finney-Smith and O’Neale would appeal to the Celtics.

“Throw out Finney-Smith with White, Brown, Tatum, and Kristaps Porziņģis, and that’s a quintet with tons of length, shot-making, and defensive versatility.

“Boston would be betting on a bounce-back season from Finney-Smith as a shooter (33.7 percent from three last season), but given the level he previously reached (38.9 percent over the three previous campaigns), that feels like a safe wager to make. The Celtics would also add a second three-and-D option in O’Neale, who can play and defend anywhere between the 2 and 4 spots.”

Celtics Urged to Trade Malcolm Brogdon for Frontcourt Depth

In a September 12 story, Buckley suggested that the Celtics should try to trade Brogdon for more big men.

“The Shamrocks should still be poking around for ways to flip Brogdon for more frontcourt help, though. There are, after all, reasons they initially deemed him expendable,” Buckley wrote.

Buckley added that the Celtics could use Brogdon’s salary to make sure that their frontcourt is taken care of should anything happen to their top three big men.

“Boston…could then focus on improving its depth at other areas. Given the previous health woes of Porziņģis and Robert Williams III, plus the fact that Al Horford turned 37 this summer, the Celtics might understandably want some insurance behind that trio. They’ve also long lacked significant depth at the wing spots.

“Acquiring a player who could fill in both spots or adding multiple players to cover those voids could give this group a bigger lift than a sometimes-available Brogdon can.”

Analyst Does Not See Celtics Adding Cam Payne

After being waived by the San Antonio Spurs, Cam Payne could be a player the Celtics use their final roster spot on, but MassLive’s Brian Robb doesn’t see such a move happening.

“Seeing that Boston’s biggest depth weak spot is in the frontcourt right now, it’s hard to envision a Payne pursuit for a couple of reasons,” Robb wrote in a September 12 story. “First, the opportunity for him as a minimum free agent would not be there in Boston’s backcourt as currently composed. White, Brown, Brogdon, and Pritchard (who the team is very high on during camp) will eat up the lion’s share of minutes in the backcourt. That makes a path for regular playing time for Payne a tough sell.”

Robb added that Payne wouldn’t be much better than what the Celtics already have.

“It’s hard to argue that Payne is an upgrade on any of the bench options the Celtics currently have. Payne averaged 10.3 points and 4.5 assists in 48 games for the Suns last season. However, his shooting splits (41 percent from the field) are a step down from most of Boston’s regular, and he’s been an average 3-point shooter (36 percent) throughout his career. Add in his size limitations defensively, and he’s not necessarily someone that Joe Mazzulla would want to play over anyone currently in his top-10 on the roster.”

Of course, if the Celtics were to trade Brogdon, then adding Payne might be something worth looking into.