Rumors around the Boston Celtics aren’t slowing down, and one of the latest trade ideas would send a familiar fan favorite out the door.
In the proposal, Boston would land Cam Johnson while Denver would get Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and the most favorable 2030 second-round pick among Phoenix, Portland and Washington.
That deal is built around a simple idea: if the Celtics want to swing big, they may have to part with players people around the team already like. Pritchard is the headliner in this one, with Hauser and that second-rounder added to make the math work.
“And Denver would receive more than financial relief. Pritchard could provide another ballhandler and scorer around Nikola Jokic, while Hauser could replace much of Johnson’s floor-spacing.
The Nuggets would also receive a second-round pick with legitimate upside: whichever 2030 selection finishes highest among Phoenix, Portland and Washington. Boston controls that pick through the Brown trade,” Alder Almo wrote.
From Boston’s angle, Johnson fits the kind of player Joe Mazzulla tends to value. He’s a strong three-point shooter and an above-average defender, which makes him an appealing target even if the price is meaningful.
The former Phoenix Suns NBA Finals runner-up had a better run with the Brooklyn Nets than he did in Denver last season, when he posted the fewest points per game he’s had since his second season. Still, the attraction is clear: Boston gets a wing who can stretch the floor and defend without having to give up a first-round pick.
In Other News...
Paul George Already Has Celtics Fans Thinking About One Bigger Question
Paul Georges first scenes in Celtics gear at the Auerbach Center were enough to get the conversation moving again around Boston. After years of speculation and patience from the front office, the Celtics finally made the move to bring in a player whose career has long been defined by elite two-way talent, tough stretches with injuries, and the kind of pedigree that changes the tone around a roster.
Now the bigger question is less about whether George fits and more about how he fits next to Jayson Tatum. Boston has spent plenty of time imagining this kind of addition, and the early workout imagery only sharpens the debate over whether George is arriving as a featured option or as the kind of complementary piece that can make an already formidable group even harder to handle. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Decision Fans Will Want To Watch
The Celtics frontcourt suddenly looks a little more crowded after bringing in Mitchell Robinson, fresh off a championship season with the Knicks, and that naturally puts a spotlight on how Boston wants to sort out its big-man rotation. Neemias Queta addressed the addition with the kind of calm, team-first tone coaches usually appreciate, saying he sees Robinson as a positive addition and making it clear those lineup calls belong to Joe Mazzulla.
Queta also pointed out the part that makes this worth watching: he and Robinson do not bring exactly the same thing to the floor. That gives Boston some real options depending on the matchup, but it also means the rotation picture could be more fluid than it was before Robinson arrived. For a Celtics team trying to balance roles and strengths up front, this is one of those situations that could develop into a useful weapon or a tricky decision. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Is Suddenly Close To Real Celtics Flexibility
The Celtics cap picture is about to look very different, and that matters as much as anything Brad Stevens has had to manage in Boston. The expectation is that the team will finish this season just under the NBA luxury tax line, a position that would let the franchise reset repeater tax penalties and ease some of the apron-related restrictions that have shaped how aggressively the front office can operate.
Boston still has expensive basketball ahead, with roster costs projected to push back above the tax line in the 2027-28 season as raises and extensions kick in. But the immediate payoff is real: more room to maneuver, more room to plan, and more room for Stevens to make decisions without every move being weighed down by the same financial pressure. The only real question now is whether the Celtics stay on that path for the rest of this season or do anything before then that changes the math. [Read more 🡒]