As Thanksgiving nears, this is a time when we all sit around the table with food and have a drink or two. It seems the NBA rumor mill has pulled up a seat and has gotten to the drinks early as Celtics rumors are starting up again. While some may seem realistic, some are just fantasy (but hey we can all dream right?). From players to Willie Caully-Stein, to Klay Thompson, these are a few rumors that have been swirling around, and I give my opinion on them and what the Celtics should do or shouldn't do.
Rumor 1: Willie Caully-Stein: James Young and Terry Rozier to Sacramento for Willie Cauley-Stein. This is a deal I would do because Cauley-Stein offers something the Celtics are severely lacking and that is rebounding. This team needs big men and while Caulley-Stein isn't the real Kings big man Celtics fans want (cough, Demarcus Cousins, cough), Caulley-Stein could be a good alternative and would be seen as someone who can take Zeller's minutes. Caulley-Stein has the athleticism and the height that can intrique anyone while his stats may seem underwhelming compared to Zeller's that's because he has not gotten the playing time he needs to prove himself whereas the Celtics are desperate and Zeller has gotten more time. While I'm not so crazy about trading Rozier away since I want to see him develop, he has not wowed me this season. Rozier is a nice defenseive guard who can occiasionally surprise you with some scoring. The issue with that is, this team has plenty of those kind of players which can make losing one of them something that is not a bad thing. Plus, I was not crazy about the Rozier pick when they drafted him either since I feel like he was drafted way way to high and James Young I never liked. Overall, I'd take the deal.
Rumor 2: Hassan Whiteside: Amir Johnson, James Young, Terry Rozier, Jonas Jerebko, and Brooklyn's 2017 NBA Draft Pick for Hassan Whiteside. Like the last deal, this one I would easily do, practically a no-brainer. Whiteside is a crazy athletic center who not only solves the team's rebounding issue, but can also score for a big man too. Whiteside is currently average 17 pts and 16 rebounds per game along with 3 blocks too. Whiteside is exactly what this team needs and that is a shot blocker, so they would have Whiteside play the center spot while Horford would be more of a power forward since he is a better shooter. I'm perfectly okay with losing the players, the thing that makes me hesitant with this deal is the Brooklyn pick as it's projected to be in the top 5. However, knowing you can get a stud in Whiteside who's still young instead of having to develop a college kid, this would have to be a chance you can't help but take.
Rumor 3: Klay Thompson: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Brooklyn's 2017 NBA Draft pick for Klay Thompson. Out of the previous trades, this is the one where I would go back and fourth and as tough as this would be, I'd turn this down. Yes this team could use another scoring punch, and Klay can very much provide that (19 points per game, shooting 45% from the field and 33% from 3), but the thing that Thompson lacks that Bradley and Crowder provide is defense. If we know anything watching this team, defense is a key thing and Crowder and Bradley provide that very much. However, if I were to make this trade, I'd include Crowder instead of Bradley because seeing how well Bradley is playing, you want to hold onto that whereas Crowder is very good don't get me wrong, but I just feel like Bradley has the better upside so I'd prefer to hold on to him. If you were to give both Crowder and Bradley to the Warriors, then that would just be no fair and you might as well give the Warriors the title at that point. But a lineup of Isaiah, Klay, (maybe Marcus), Horford, and Amir does sound pretty tempting, if you could make that line up be Isaiah, Klay, Bradley, Horford, and Amir, then you kind of have me there. But if both of these players are included in this deal, I would have to pass.
The only players I'd essentially sell the team for (minus Isaiah and Horford) are Demarcus Cousins or Anthony Davis, but those are all just dreams sadly. Cousins rumors are always swirling, but unless the Kings are legitimately serous on moving him, I take those rumors with a grain of salt. If you though the rumors were pretty crazy now, just wait until NBA trade deadline, that's when they get extra crazy, these are just only the beginning. In the meantime, I'm comfortable rolling with this team and seeing where they can go.
