The Celtics appeared solid at the guard position and at the center position with their trade for Kristaps Porzingis, leading into the 2023 summer. Boston had to address one glaring issue: the need for a shooting wing defender.

However, Brad Stevens substituted Jrue Holiday for point guard Malcolm Brogdon and center Robert Williams. One might аrgue that Boston’s biggest bench need appeared at every position all of a suԀԀen. In this series, I’ve written about big me𝚗 and guards that the Celtics would want to target; in this article, I’ll concentrate on wings.

Grant Williams’ departure from Boston last offseason was a blоw to the team’s defensive versatility, shooting, grit, and physicality—even though it was all but inevitable. Although he wasn’t a flawless player, he had the ability to effectively disrupt games by making 40% of his three-pointers.

With the little wages they would have to give up in a trade, there isn’t a single player available that the Celtics could acquire to completely replace Williams’ shoes. For the Celtics, who are in need of a potent hustler, there are a couple players who may fill a similar but more restricted position.

I get your thought process, but what about Lamar Stevens? Brissett Oshae?

You are heard. They make excellent and powerful defenders. However, they are not reliable shooters, and Joe Mazzulla doesn’t now appear to be prepared to put his trust in them to log significant minutes. He is either waiting until he has a better option than the two offseason acquisitions, or he is happy with Sam Hauser playing all of the backup wing minutes.

Stevens might choose to move forward on the trading market, but I’m not sure. But I do believe he has one move left before the trade deadline of February 8th. And one of the following players might be acquired in the transaction.

A strong start is made when BOS obtains Naji Marshall.

Second-round compensation is given to NOP.

There are plenty of large wings on the New Orleans Pelicans. Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson are all capable of playing forward or wing. In addition, rookie shooting guard Jordan Hawkins has had an excellent season thus far, while Dyson Daniels, a large guard in their reserve team, is starting to emerge. That is a deep bench group that plays both a lot of shooting and defense.

Because of the injuries to several players in the rotation ahead of him, Marshall is playing fewer minutes this season than he did the previous one. Furthermore, he is nearing the end of his contract. If the Pelicans don’t anticipate he’ll re-sign, they may trade him; his $1.9 million contract easily falls inside the $6.2 Grant Williams moved player exception.

This may now need to be part of a bigger picture. Boston doesn’t have a good center on the trade market, which is likely why the Pelicans are searching. It would be crаzy to trade for a player like Marshall before attempting to make a bigger move, but Boston has a few seconds this year, including one that is probably in the 33–38 range, so perhaps their second-round picks could assist New Orleans in making a bigger move.

As a backup to Hauser, Marshall would enter the game whenever the bench team required a little extra hustle and scrapping. Marshall was referred to as a “junkyard dog” by Pelicans big Larry Nance Jr. last season due to his eagerness to create hustle plays and his sense of pride in his defense. Although he hasn’t shot as well as Hauser in recent years, he is currently 43% from three this season. That can still be excellent even if it gets smaller. He’s a terrific wing stopper as well, so he might really help Boston in the playoffs.

However, removing young players of that caliber from strong teams is difficult.

A veteran on a less-than-stellar club is up next.

Received by BOS: Torrey Craig

CHI gets one selection in the second round.

Craig, 32, was brought in by Chicago this summer in an effort to strengthen its on-ball defense. At 6’7″, Craig is a muscular and intelligent defender who can switch onto bigger players and take on challenging tasks. He plays 21 minutes a game on average for the Bulls, which makes him a valuable member of the rotation. However, everyone save Patrick Williams, Coby White, and rookie Julian Phillips might be available if the Bulls want to blоw things up.

Boston could play with just plus defenders for the whole of a game thanks to Craig’s defense. Although teams have discovered they can lose Hauser in screening activities, he has fared quite well in isolation. They will make every effort to get him to perform such behaviors during the playoffs. Boston wouldn’t have that issue with Craig. Additionally, he makes enough threes (37%) to be a contributing factor on offense.

Let’s move on to the next man:

BOS is given: Lonnie Walker, Jr.

BRK is awarded second-round selections.

Walker was signed this offseason, therefore this deal can’t be finalized until December 15th.

I realize that certain trade structures are becoming stale. Boston simply doesn’t have many assets to trade, and the most of these players aren’t paid enough to incur exоrbitant luxury tax penalties if they were acquired via the TPE.

Walker’s one-year deal is only worth $2 million. He most likely joined with Brooklyn for this reduced amount in order to increase his value and receive a larger salary this offseason. Could he play the backup-wing role of Bruce Brown in Denver last year, similar to that of the Swiss Army Knιfe? Maybe. Athletic shooting guard who has become a better defender as well as a terrific shooter (46% from three this season!). In addition, he had a fantastic series with the Lakers against the Warriors in the previous postseason.

This season, the 24-year-old has averaged over 14 points each game. Am I dreaming that Brooklyn might move him? Perhaps.

It all relies on their desire to re-sign him during the summer. It’s very likely that they gave him a short contract so they could use it to demonstrate his potential and trade him in for a player later in the season. It’s also possible, though, that they genuinely do like him and want to have him back. But many of them are young, and they have plenty of wings. Perhaps they feel pressure from an upcoming demanding schedule and determine it’s time to reallocate resources. Who knows?

My favorite wing trade for the Boston Celtics is this one. Walker is a fantastic athlete, and Boston could use his help.

A dynamic wing defender with a strong shooting season like Jae’Sean Tate is someone I would want to see Boston get. However, it would take a few rotation players to make it work because he is making somewhat more than the TPE value. The Celtics’ extremely constrained acquisition tools make it difficult to locate trades this season.

In conclusion, even if there are rumors Boston is considering John Konchar of the Grizzlies, I don’t think he’s a good match for this squad. Why would he choose to play with someone like Lamar Stevens or Svi Mykhailiuk? He’s not a particularly good shooter or defender. The only plausible explanation for his potential acquisition by Boston is his low cost. However, in the NBA, you essentially get what you pay for.