According to sources cited by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Boston Celtics made the trade to acquire Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers on Friday. This provided the team with the type of playmaking point guard that the president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and coach Ime Udoka believed was necessary to elevate the franchise to the level of a championship contender.
ClutchPoints: Boston Celtics deal for Malcolm Brogdon, sources indicate
According to sources quoted by Wojnarowski, the Pacers will receive a first-round pick in the 2023 draught as well as five players from the Celtics as part of the trade. These players include center Daniel Theis and first-round pick Aaron Nesmith from the 2021 draught.
Malcolm Brogdon is excited to join the Boston Celtics:
Brogdon told ESPN’s Marc Spears that he is excited to join the Boston Celtics, despite the fact that neither team would be able to disclose the agreement until the next week.
Malcolm Brogdon stated that the Celtics are “seasoned and motivated to win a championship.” He also mentioned that Celtics talents Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford, in addition to Udoka, have all sought out to him since the deal was agreed upon. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Boston family and take on the challenge of winning that title.”
During Malcolm Brogdon’s playoff sit-down with reporters after the Celtics’ loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Stevens particularly mentioned playmaking as an issue that the team needed to address moving forward.
At the beginning of this month, Stevens was quoted as saying, “I think we need a little bit more playmaking.” “I have no reason to doubt that… We need to make sure that we keep up our fast-paced play throughout the game. When we are performing at our highest level, our play is fast-paced.
A unique identity:
“… However, there is no doubt that in this league, it is to everyone’s advantage to have as many players as possible who are capable of making offensive plays. And the challenge, once more, is making sure that whatever you do around the margins of our roster, we have a unique identity, and we have a uniqueness in our size and our ability to be versatile all across the board. Because of this, when we are adding to our team, we have to take this into consideration. If, on the other hand, we are able to keep that and add some playmaking, then you want to do that without a shadow of a doubt.”
The acquisition of Brogdon, a 29-year-old player who spent the previous season with Indiana and averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 33 games, was undoubtedly an addition to the Celtics’ roster.
Not only does the 6-foot-5 guard help Boston in a variety of ways offensively — both as a passer and a career 37.6 percent 3-point shooter — but he is also another long, rangy defender to add to a stable of big guards for the Celtics that includes the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Smart and Derrick White, whom Boston acquired in a different trade at the trade deadline in February. White was acquired by Boston in a different trade at the deadline in February.
The Celtics were able to acquire Malcolm Brogdon without having to give up any of the top eight players in their postseason rotation. Wojnarowski was informed by sources that the San Antonio Spurs are expected to finalize the expected release on forwarding Danilo Gallinari and that Gallinari’s preference is to join the Celtics once he clears waivers. This news raises the possibility that the Celtics will add a second player in the coming days.
After the conclusion of the previous season, Stevens identified several weaknesses, including a lack of bench scoring and depth in the roster, which may be addressed by these signings.
Teams are easily broken:
When asked about it at the time, Stevens stated, “I think we need to walk a tight line a little bit.” “I believe that teams are easily broken. I believe there is a precarious balance between how teams operate and how they work together. And I believe that your identity as a team, when you find one that is successful, which we did this year on the defensive end of the floor and when we were at our best sharing the ball offensively, are things that are fragile. This is something that we did this year on the defensive end of the floor.
“Therefore, the simple fact that you are adding something does not mean that you are not also taking something away from the group. And just because you alter important parts of the group doesn’t guarantee that it won’t completely take your identity and move it in a route that isn’t as successful as the previous one. And so it’s such a delicate line. If you were to ask me right now what we are lacking, my immediate response would be a little bit more scoring off the bench from more consistent scorers. I believe that we have certain needs for the immediate future there.”
Marcus Smart, a standout player for the Celtics, posted on social media that he was “REALLY happy” about the moves the team had made.
Tyrese Haliburton, who the Indiana Pacers acquired at the trade deadline of the previous season in exchange for Domantas Sabonis with the Sacramento Kings, and rookie Bennedict Mathurin, who the Indiana Pacers selected sixth overall in the most recent NBA draught, continue to be the centerpieces of the young backcourt that the Pacers are building their roster around in Indiana.
This finished the previous season with 8.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while splitting time between Houston and Boston. Nesmith, who will be a first-round pick in 2020, averaged 3.8 points per game while playing in 52 contests.
Because of the restrictions imposed by the salary cap in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the contracts of Malik Fitts, Nik Stauskas, and Juwan Morgan—all of whom will be joining the Indiana Pacers—will need to be guaranteed for the trade to be successful.
Malcolm Brogdon was also re-elected in March to serve another term as a vice president on the executive committee of the NBA Players Association for a period of three years.
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