Malcolm Brogdon’s future in a Boston Celtics uniform appears to be in doubt after the franchise attempted to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers last week. The transaction eventually fell through because L.A. was unable to acquire a physical in time and withdrew at the last minute.
Going ahead, it’s difficult to envision Brogdon being happy to be playing for a franchise that actively attempted to trade him.
In the spirit of the embarrassing situation, MassLive’s Brian Robb offered a deal in which the reigning Sixth Man of the Year would be traded to the San Antonio Spurs in return for Keldon Johnson.
“A cost-controlled present would give Boston plenty of options for long-term building around Jayson Tatum with him signed for the next four years,” Robb said of Johnson. “Would the Spurs be interested in Malcolm Brogdon and three future first-round picks?” He may be off the market totally, but due to his arrangement, this is a name worth investigating.”
Johnson is only 23 years old and is coming off a strong season, possibly his best of his career. Last season, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 63 games for the Spurs. The four-year veteran had a reasonably efficient season, hitting 45.2% of his shots
.of his field-goal attempts and 32.9% of his long-range attempts. Those splits are slightly better for his career overall, at 46.8%/36.3%.
If Johnson is dealt to the Celtics as part of Robb’s proposal this summer, he will most likely serve a bench position as a backup to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Having said that, he’d be a solid match in that role. He’s shown that he can score at a semi-efficient pace while also acting as a top option on a terrible squad. If he played for Boston, his points per game average would almost probably decline, but Johnson would almost certainly be shooting far cleaner shots from the field, meaning he’d shoot at a lot more efficient clip.
Furthermore, he is on the first year of a four-year, $74 million contract extension, which diminishes in value over time, according to Spotrac.
Having said that, he’d be a solid match in that role. He’s shown that he can score at a semi-efficient pace while also acting as a top option on a terrible squad. If he played for Boston, his points per game average would almost probably decline, but Johnson would almost certainly be shooting far cleaner shots from the field, meaning he’d shoot at a lot more efficient clip.
Furthermore, he is on the first year of a four-year, $74 million contract extension, which diminishes in value over time, according to Spotrac.
If they traded Brogdon for Johnson, the bench unit would most likely provide the same amount of points. The icing on the cake is that they would obtain a much younger player in Johnson, who is under contract for the foreseeable future. On the other side, following the deal, they’d be incredibly thin at the guard position. Furthermore, they’d be giving up a lot in terms of potential firsts.
At the end of the day, the Cs should pursue this arrangement if — and only if — they are unable to repair their relationship with Brogdon.
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