Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics Receive: F Thaddeus Young, G/F Denzel Valentine, CHI 2023 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected)

Chicago Bulls Receive: G Marcus Smart, G/F Romeo Langford, OKC 2021 2nd Round Pick (via BOS)

Thaddeus Young is now 32-years old and in his 14th season in the NBA, but has always been known as a legit low-post threat and aggressive rebounder. This is exactly the type of player the Celtics could use off their bench, especially since they need more reliable play from their frontcourt.

This team needs some help in the frontcourt and at a low price, they can get a guy like Thaddeus Young who you know what you are going to get with. He can score in double-figures any day of the week and can give the Celtics the big-bodied big man in the low-post they need on both ends of the court.

Giving up Marcus Smart would be hard for the Celtics to do, especially since he is a fantastic two-way player for them and one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league. While he has been a terrific role player for them, it may be worth it for the Celtics in the grand scheme of things to trade him for two valuable role players. 

Romeo Langford has not really played at all due to wrist injuries and with him being “dead weight” at this point for the Celtics, they would be getting two key role players for the price of one, which could be the difference in them making the NBA Finals.

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Denzel Valentine never really turned out to be the player the Bulls had hoped he would be, but he is still averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and shooting 36.7% from three-point range this season. He is not the type of player like Smart who can get things done on both ends of the court, but can be an offensive weapon the Celtics could utilize on the wing next to their star players.

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker cannot play all 48-minutes every single night and need key players they can depend on for production when they are either struggling or out of the game. Boston does not currently have those kinds of players, which is why acquiring Thad Young and Denzel Valentine makes a lot of sense.

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This is not the kind of move that is going to make the Celtics the team to beat in the league, but it gives them depth, which is extremely important for any team pursuing a championship. Boston cannot win the NBA Finals with three guys doing everything on the offensive end of the court, which is why this trade makes a ton of sense for them. 

While they would take a hit defensively trading away Marcus Smart, this team really needs to add bench depth and bench scorers, which is what they would be doing in this trade. It is a tough decision to make for the Celtics, but they have to make the moves that will set them up to win a championship now and ultimately, keeping Marcus Smart may not be the best move for them.