Boston Celtics Receive: F LaMarcus Aldridge
San Antonio Spurs Receive: G Marcus Smart, F Grant Williams, BOS 2022 1st Round Pick, BOS 2025 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected)
It is not a question of whether or not the Celtics need/want Aldridge, but it is more of a question of whether or not they are willing to invest this much in him to potentially contend for a championship. Aldridge is in the final year of his contract and even if he stays with the Celtics after this season, he would still only have a couple of years left before he calls it quits and retires.
Marcus Smart is one of the better two way players in the entire NBA and Grant Williams is a promising young frontcourt talent, so it would really be interesting to see if the Celtics do decide to pursue the veteran forward at this price.
Overall though, Aldridge could really make a difference for Boston since their frontcourt is a mess. Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams have all been very inconsistent this year and none of them are legit offensive threats. Bringing in Aldridge gives Boston a real low-post threat and someone who can knock down a shot on offense from virtually anywhere on the court.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 3 trades for LaMarcus Aldridge the San Antonio Spurs should pursue
LaMarcus Aldridge averaged 18.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and shot 49.3% from the floor last season before suffering a season ending shoulder injury and could be a great third or fourth scoring option for the Boston Celtics. Not only can Aldridge help them this year in their hunt to make a deep playoff run, but they would have cap space to play around with next offseason in the event that Aldridge does not stay long-term.
It seems like every year the Celtics are bringing in a new All-Star caliber or former All-Star talent to try and help them make it to the NBA Finals, so having more cap space if this Aldridge trade turns out to be a flop would definitely be a positive thing for Boston.
What this trade comes down to most is that the Celtics need another reliable player to turn to and they desperately need help in their frontcourt. Aldridge is not the double-double machine he once was, but is still more than capable of scoring 16+ points per night and grabbing 5+ rebounds a night, which would be a huge boost to the Celtics.
While this trade does not seem to be too ideal, there are definitely good things to like for both teams. With that said, let’s take a look at why this trade makes sense for both the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs.
