Boston Celtics Receive: G/F Buddy Hield
Indiana Pacers Receive: F/C Al Horford, POR 2023 2nd Round Pick (via BOS)
For years, the main problem with the Boston Celtics has been their lack of secondary depth. Last season, it was hard for them to find production outside of Tatum and Brown offensively and this season, the Celtics’ bench ranks 26th in the league in scoring.
Trading for Derrick White at the trade deadline this season was a strong move for the Celtics to make, as it helped sure things up on their bench, but finding avid shooters on the perimeter to put next to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be key.
As a team, Boston ranks 21st in the league in three-point shooting and Buddy Hield could really help expand their offense, making their two All-Stars even more lethal scores in isolation sets.
Cap-wise, the Celtics would not be able to bring in another $20 million contract to their roster, hence why they would have to trade someone like Al Horford to make this deal work.
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Assuming they hold onto Malcolm Brogdon and do not trade him, the Indiana Pacers could run into some problems in terms of giving minutes to Brogdon, Haliburton, Duarte and Hield.
Indiana currently finds themselves in a situation where they have some young talents in-place, but they do not really have a direction that they are moving in as an organization right now.
Moving some players around in the offseason for more future value could make a lot of sense for them, hence possibly interest in trading Buddy Hield.
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However, Al Horford does not help the Pacers in any way in terms of a “rebuild” and is nothing more than a “salary-relief” type of player since he will be entering the final year of his contract.
Basically, this trade would give the Indiana Pacers extra cap space in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2023. The key question here is whether or not this is enough value for the Pacers to take back in a trade involving Hield.
