Quote:
Originally Posted by Déjà Bru
This article gives the Celtics an A for the trade (shedding big salary for a player beginning to decline) and the Trail Blazers C- (now overpaying said player in a "win now" move while giving up a young star with room to grow).
|
What could solidify the C+ grade (or worse) for the Blazers is that, reportedly, Jrue is not happy at all with being sent to Portland. Understandable, as he just came off multiple years of playing on teams that were title contenders (winning two) and he knows that he's slowing down but still has plenty to offer. Although the Blazers are on the upswing, Jrue is not winning a title there while he's still a productive player.
Being the classy pro that he is he'll most likely do what he has to do, but it would not be surprising to see him engineer a move elsewhere, to a contender.
As for the Celtics, after the Jrue & KP trades they have gotten under the 2nd apron and are just $8m away from getting under the 1st apron - which would give them much more roster-building flexibility. I would not be surprised to see another trade to move up in the draft. Next season - with Tatum out and no chance at a title but still the talent to win 48-50 games - would be an ideal one to have a promising rookie get more minutes than he normally would, with the idea being that he'd be groomed to be a solid contributer on a title-aspring 2026-27 team with Tatum and Brown.