Grading Brad's first trade

[blink]

This was a surprise!  Not that it happened, but that it happened so fast and wasn’t part of a draft day trade.  I give the trade a B.  Getting out from Kemba’s contract was priority number 1.  Mission accomplished. 

I like Al, but I also have doubts that he will be as impactful as others here think.  He looked bad when he was with Philly.  That might have been from being a bad fit, but he was being minute managed when he was here before.  I just think that we should expect closer to 15 good minutes a night than 25 from Al.

Moses is an interesting prospect.  It feels like he will get minutes but who knows.  With Timelord’s injuries it is hard to gauge who will start and how that will be sorted out.  If Timelord could stay healthy and you only rely on Al for 20 min a game it could work out well.

[RPGenerate]

Incomplete at this point. Need to see what else Brad does to fill out the roster.

[sgrogan]

Would Fournier sign a 1 year above market deal?
Can we trade Thompson for something of value?

IMHO the deal doesn't improve us on the court next year.
In my mind Al takes Tristan's minutes.
Pritchard, Neismith, Langford take Kemba's.

[tenn_smoothie]

Very surprised that Brad traded a guard for size. Very happy about it too.

I am hoping we don't go shopping for another big scoring PG again. I would like to see this team with a playmaker, though Smart could be a Dennis Johnson type PG, if the new coach keeps his shooting attempts down. I am all for adding 3-point shooters to come off the bench, just not at PG.

Happy to have Horford back, I see him as a needed improvement over Kemba's struggles.
I appreciate Kemba's efforts here and his team attitude was such a plus, especially given the psycho he replaced.

I do not understand why so many are down on the Brown kid.
Averaged 20 minutes and 8 pts / 8 rebounds.
Last 10 games of the season, he averaged 25 mins and 9pts/11 rbs.
Last game of the season vs Clippers, he plays 38 minutes and goes for 24 pts/18rbs along with 3 assists and 7 blocks.
Am I misreading those stats ? I realize the Clippers game was against their 2nd team guys, but they are NBA players.
He is very young at 21. What's not to like ??

[nickagneta]

B+ for me. If Brad felt the need to move on from Kemba, he did pretty well in filling a need for a defensive minded big that can move the ball in a high quality way, all while simultaneously being able to stretch the floor.

Instead of paying the price of a first rounder, Brad also got a kid that if he was coming out this year, would probably be projected in that 16-22 area or so. Only difference being, Brown already has more than a half season of experience where he put up 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in only 21.4 minutes a game while scoring at a league average efficiency.

And these moves were done while saving $7.3 million in salary and not having to pay the #16 pick around $3.1 million. This savings opens up a lot of possibilities, especially if Thompson can be moved while bringing back a good player while saving more money. Charlotte is going to need an experienced big man could Thompson and Langford nab Miles Bridges. Probably a bad idea, but now that the team has a big to replace Thompson, some fun ideas can open up.

Anyway, I created a thread back in January asking who would people prefer, Horford or Thompson. Brad Stevens made his preference known.

Also, this seems like a really good trade for a first time GM that had no experience at the job and was only hired as a GM to save money from having to fire him as the head coach. 😋

[Ogaju]

Brad sends message..Celtics open for business and does not have to win every trade.

[Neurotic Guy]

I was one of the few here who thought the C's would have to attach assets just to dump Kemba.  I was expecting not much in return and did expect to have to send the 1st rounder with him.  Getting some good financial gains (all of which I don't fully understand) and getting Al and a young big with some upside feels like good return to me.  The flexibility that appears to have been derived from this trade feels like a sigh of relief.   Looking forward to signing Fournier, using the remainder of the TPE, and seeing what Brad can get for TT.    Maybe other surprises in store.   B+

[pearljammer10]

This was a surprise!  Not that it happened, but that it happened so fast and wasn’t part of a draft day trade.  I give the trade a B.  Getting out from Kemba’s contract was priority number 1.  Mission accomplished. 

I like Al, but I also have doubts that he will be as impactful as others here think.  He looked bad when he was with Philly.  That might have been from being a bad fit, but he was being minute managed when he was here before.  I just think that we should expect closer to 15 good minutes a night than 25 from Al.

Moses is an interesting prospect.  It feels like he will get minutes but who knows.  With Timelord’s injuries it is hard to gauge who will start and how that will be sorted out.  If Timelord could stay healthy and you only rely on Al for 20 min a game it could work out well.

Horford averaged 14, 7, 3, 1, and 1 with just 1 TO and 1.7 fouls a game last year shooting 45/37/82 over 28 minutes through 28 games. OKC then asked him to leave because he was helping them win games.

He isn’t our savior but he will be more impactful than a lot of others think.

[BringToughnessBack]

A- Good trade for both and amazing to be able to jetison a player who just does not fit with the current team. Horford should have never left- He will help space the floor and distribute and do all the unselfish things that Brown and Tatum need alongside them. Kemba will surely end up on the Knicks. We will see.

In two years, we can figure out what big moves to do with Brown being free and other huge FA’s available potentially like Zion and Embiid. Brad’s construction project for banner 18 has begun. 2023-24 is the season I expect greatness for us.

[Bobshot]

I graded it an A, but I don't know if I'm grading Stevens. The deal to me doesn't look like something he would make. I mean, getting two bigs for a 3P shooting guard?
Granted getting Horford back acknowledges the terrible mistake Ainge made letting him go without really replacing him. Danny was just too conservative on trading and FAs.
He missed the boat several times. Walker instead of Rozier was one.

[Birdman]

I give it a B+.. got rid of Kemba contract was huge..Al & Thompson can rotate..Moses is the key here for me.. if he come here & play great, then it can be an A

[tazzmaniac]

I haven't heard any reason why the trade couldn't have waited for the draft.  They clearly haven't had much time to vet draft prospects and they don't know who might drop to #16. 
Maybe a team like the Knicks gets desperate.  I think we needed to move Kemba but I don't think Horford, Brown and the cap relief moves the needle that much.  Now maybe there is another trade coming but for now I give it a C for the Celts. 

OKC on the other hand gets an A.  They got a 2025 1st and a good 2nd (Maledon) to take on Horford's contract and now they get the #16 getting rid of it.  I expect they'll flip Kemba for another 1st.  They now have 3 1sts in this draft which may include two top 5 picks if the Houston pick falls to 5th (48% chance). 

[SHAQATTACK]

  The financial benefit of Horford being cheaper and only half guaranteed the following year are only 'benefits' if they let Al go after this year so while it's technically a cost savings, it's a lot of dead salary still on the books for that season and no Al.

Partially true, but we’re saving about $10 million per season regardless of whether we waive him.  If that $10 million is reinvested into the team, it could be huge.

If Celts waive AL after this season






plus Thompson and Smart contracts coming off the books

Is there room for another max slot?

I think this is wHere Brad is heading ….there is a lot baggage to unload yet

[Roy H.]

  The financial benefit of Horford being cheaper and only half guaranteed the following year are only 'benefits' if they let Al go after this year so while it's technically a cost savings, it's a lot of dead salary still on the books for that season and no Al.

Partially true, but we’re saving about $10 million per season regardless of whether we waive him.  If that $10 million is reinvested into the team, it could be huge.

If Celts waive AL after this season






plus Thompson and Smart contracts coming off the books

Is there room for another max slot?

I think this is wHere Brad is heading ….there is a lot baggage to unload yet

If we don’t sign Fournier or use the MLE over multiple years, then yes.

[footey]

We haven't even got a coach, so Al may not play under the new coach's system.

I think that this probably isn’t a major concern. Is there a coach in the league who couldn’t use Al Horford?

Brett Brown?