Grading Brad's first trade

[wiley]

I think peeps are under-selling what the coming season's Celtics could do.

Kemba was not a good fit here.  He will do better next to a big, true, star PG in SGA.

If you add Horford's IQ and leadership, and ball movement (the style he helps implement is retained even when he's on the bench), to a healthy J's combo, a healthy R. Will, more seasoned Romeo and Nesmith, excellent defense at PG position, this team can be poised to make a run to the finals next year. 

This trade was NECESSARY

[Atzar]

Right now, I'm in the C/C+ area probably.  I like Horford but at 35 I'm not sure how much gas he has left in the tank, and I'm not very interested in Moses Brown.  Attaching a decent pick just to get rid of a guy never feels very good. 

But nothing happens in a vacuum and this grade will change depending on what else we do.  Overall, I'm hoping to see a cohesive plan for the direction of this team, and if it takes a couple of tough trades to get there, then I'm alright with that. 

[liam]

B

Interested to see what other things shake out now but like the move more for financial implications than anything else.

I think it was made more for financial implications than anything else.

[Raul C]

I like the trade, A-/B+, but I prefer to look at it from a different perspective.

This trade is better than what Danny would have done.  Danny would have obsessed over the 1st rounder believing he could pull off a draft day trade or find the next 6'8" can't-miss.

For that reason alone, high marks.

[Ogaju]

I gave an A. Surprised that anyone would take Kemba. A small PG with arthritic knees?

[liam]

Right now, I'm in the C/C+ area probably.  I like Horford but at 35 I'm not sure how much gas he has left in the tank, and I'm not very interested in Moses Brown.  Attaching a decent pick just to get rid of a guy never feels very good. 

But nothing happens in a vacuum and this grade will change depending on what else we do.  Overall, I'm hoping to see a cohesive plan for the direction of this team, and if it takes a couple of tough trades to get there, then I'm alright with that.

I don't think we keep 4 centers on the roster.

[feckless]

The team needs a solid leader.  Kemba is a happy-go-lucky guy.  Al is a leader!

[PhoSita]

I missed Al Horford. Team would've been better if he'd stayed instead of bringing on Kemba.

Hurts to give up a 1st but Moses Brown is a young player under contract for a few more seasons and could be useful.

Have to see what happens next but in a vacuum I think this is a really solid move.

[perks-a-beast]

A. Kemba was never a good fit for this team, unloading him was a blessing. I would have been happy to get rid of him to Chicago for satoransky, young, Amina- a trade I’ve seen floating around here. Horford-Brown is a a better package than that.

[Phantom255x]

I give it a solid A-

I like it considering the circumstances. Yes Horford is older (35) but he did play some of his best basketball here and I think his ability to space the floor and facilitate is useful in our system. I think he was misused in PHI which isn't a surprise when you consider others have been misused there too.

Also, Horford could end up being a good mentor to guys like Timelord and G-Will.

The C's may think Moses Brown is better than anyone they could have taken at #16, and I'd agree. I think it also allows us to actually play guys like Romeo and Nesmith more as opposed to just adding another mid-first rounder to the fold (which may have just been another guard lol)

[86MaxwellSmart]

A

Keep going Brad...unload the rest of the Ainge Scrubs.

[LilRip]

I’m in the B range. It’s not a home run for sure but I like acquiring Horford. He’s a vet, he has the respect of both Jays, he plays the right way, and he can be a stabilizing presence on offense for the team. I don’t expect him to play big minutes but his off court contributions may outweigh his on court contributions.

Plus, we shave a year off of Kemba’s contract. Can we play in free agency sooner? Idk. Time will tell. We definitely still need a 3rd star to surround the Jays with to become a contender. I’m also surprised GBS made a trade without having a coach in place first

Not sure we do need a 3rd star.

Look how well Atlanta and Phoenix have done this season workout that 3rd star.  Milwaukee have also been consistentl to strong despite not really having any big name stars behind Giannis.

Meanwhile Brooklyn and Philly (with their star studded lineups) are both one loss away from elimination.

I think people get too drawn in to the glitz and glamour.  A star studded team like GS / LA win a title and everybody stars assuming that's the only way.  But then those star studded teams are always extremely top heavy, and sometimes all it takes is one key injury and the season is over. 

Sometimes I think it might be better to have one superstar, one all-star, and quality depth - that way when one man goes down you have a better chance of the next guy stepping up and less drop off.

Brooklyn is one game away from elimination the same way the Bucks are one game away from elimination. And the fact that the Nets are still in it despite the injuries is pretty amazing.

And how is Philly star studded? They have 2 stars like us. Tobias Harris is just paid really well but he’s never made an allstar team. The difference though is that Embiid is an MVP-level talent.

If Tatum blossoms into a fringe MVP candidate/surefire all NBA talent, then maybe we don’t need that third star. You mention the Bucks being consistently strong but let’s not pretend like Giannis isnt a 2-time MVP and a DPOY. Tatum didn’t even make the all-NBA this year.

[Moranis]

I'm in the B range.  Have to see the follow-up moves as I hate Smart at PG, but I think the team is a bit more cohesive next year, saves money, and gets a nice young center prospect that has performed quite well when given starter minutes at the end of the year.

[BitterJim]

Id give it somewhere around a B, after the seemingly inevitable Tristan Thompson trade I'll probably upgrade it to a B+.

Not a fan of giving up #16 to swap Kemba for Al, but Brown is a cheap young project big with 3 more years of team control. And I just really love what Al brings to the offense.

[boscel33]

I was torn between B+ and A-.  I decided on B+ to give this some growth room.  I think Moses and what he could do could make this an A-.  The salary flexibility initially is what I liked.  We should be able to sign Evan with no issues now.