The Boston Celtics will find themselves in a million and one trade rumors over the next calendar year.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens reminded everyone again this offseason that he’s not afraid to pull the trigger on moves both big and small.
Stevens’ willingness to reshuffle things has only emboldened analysts speculating about further trades. On Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley became the newest trade machine explorer, but his proposed Celtics deal doesn’t make much sense at all.
Buckley proposed a deal sending rookie Hugo González and a 2026 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for 24-year-old guard Justin Champagnie, who has averaged 6.1 points per game in his career on 36.2 percent from three in stints with the Wizards, Celtics and Toronto Raptors.
“Boston is preparing to backtrack this season, but it won’t want to stay down for long,” Buckley wrote.
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“Whenever Jayson Tatum is ready to return from his ruptured Achilles, the Celtics should once again challenge for control of the Eastern Conference. That’s a long-winded way of saying Boston is probably done making meaningful cuts to this roster. Maybe the Shamrocks can sniff out an Anfernee Simons swap to further trim their payroll, but given how the trade market has treated undersized scoring guards this offseason, it might not amount to more than a salary dump.”
“González, on the other hand, could hold some appeal to the right shopper,” Buckley continued. “The 19-year-old, who went 28th in this year’s draft, offers plenty of athleticism, good playmaking instincts for his size (6’6″, 205 lbs) and interesting long-term potential on both ends. The rebuilding Wizards might chase his upside at the expense of Champagnie, whom the Celtics could prefer for his low maintenance offense and defensive energy.”
Buckley’s trade doesn’t work for the Celtics because they have no reason to move on from González and his friendly rookie contract unless he’s part of a package for a star.
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González is making less than 500k more than Champagnie this season, and the former Real Madrid prospect offers a lot more upside. The Celtics are planning to give González real minutes this season to audition him for a future role in the post-Achilles Tatum era, when Boston will once again be contenders.
González was a first-round pick for a reason — he has the potential to be an impact, two-way wing in the NBA. Why would Boston give up on that potential so soon, all for a player of Champagnie’s caliber?