Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently proposed a Kristaps Porzingis trade that would see the Golden State Warriors seriously help the Boston Celtics’ offseason problems. Here is the full outline of the trade:
Celtics receive: Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gui Santos
Warriors receive: Kristaps Porzingis
Now, the deal would still work without Santos in the trade, and the Celtics may prefer it that way, as they could save a bit more money in the deal. However, this general framework could work well for both sides, and especially for the Celtics.
Why would the Celtics make this trade?
The Celtics are in quite a bind this summer. They need to clear up a bunch of cap space in order to get under the second apron—a little less than $20 million. But that’s before they sign their rookies and try to bring back Luke Kornet and Al Horford. So, in reality, the number they need to clear is much higher than that.
As a result, it seems very likely that Porzingis will be traded this summer, as his $30.7 million contract carries a lot of weight on Boston’s books. Shedding all or most of it would be ideal, but a trade like this one to the Warriors would get them a chunk of the way there.
Without Santos included, they would save roughly $7.7 million.
In an ideal world, they could flip Buddy Hield to a third team by attaching a pick so they could shed that $9.2 million, too. That would give them a huge leg up in the salary department.
Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis would be very interesting players to look at, with the former being the more enticing guy.
With Jayson Tatum set to be sidelined for most of next year, Moody could get some serious run in Boston, giving him a chance to expand on his potential. And since the Celtics desperately need big man depth heading into next year, trying to revive some of Jackson-Davis’ value after an ugly sophomore season could be interesting.
Why would the Warriors make this trade?
This part is a bit more up in the air. In theory, the Warriors would be getting an elite 3-and-D center in Porzingis. But after the way he finished last season, there could be some serious questions regarding his level of play.
That said, Porzingis is on an expiring contract, so if he plays poorly, the Warriors will free up a ton of money next season. And if the price to pay for that is one young rotation piece (who they would have to pay next summer), Hield, and two guys who weren’t really in the rotation last season, it could be worth it.
