Three weeks ago, as the news was settling in the Danny Ainge was stepping down and Brad Stevens was stepping away from the sideline and into Ainge's old job, this space made several recommendations.
One piece of advice for Stevens was to send Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City and take back Al Horford.
Walker has struggled with knee problems since signing as a free agent in 2019 and, even with healthy, his need to control the ball conflicts with the skill sets of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston's two young stars. Horford is slightly less expensive and would, in theory, provide some much needed veteran leadership for a young locker room.
Well, it looks like Stevens is a fan of TheBostonInsider, as his first move as President of Basketball Operations was to send Walker, the 16th pick in the 2021 Draft, and a 2025 2nd Round Pick to the Thunder for Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 2nd Round Pick.
This move saves the Celtics at least $20-million over the next two seasons (and almost $30 if they move on from the $14.5-million Horford has guaranteed for the 2022-23 season), which keeps them away from the luxury tax and should put them in position to re-sign Evan Fournier and also make another addition with the Mid-Level Exception.
Boston also adds Brown, a 21-year-old 7-2 center who is under team control through 2024 and demonstrated serious potential this season with averages of 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the Thunder in 43 games. Brown had a monster game against Boston in March with 21 points and 23 rebounds, a performance that surely caught the eye of then-coach Stevens.
Stevens now needs to focus on selecting the next head coach - my guess is that it comes down to Chauncey Billups or Ime Udoka - while finding other ways to upgrade Boston's roster around Tatum and Brown. Now that Walker is off the roster, Stevens needs to add a point guard to pair with Payton Pritchard and another veteran wing would be nice, even if they keep Fournier. Tristan Thompson is now a likely trade chip and a Thompson-for-Rajon Rondo deal makes sense for both sides.
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