NBA Mock Trade: OKC Thunder Bolster Celtics Depth in Exchange for Picks
On Tuesday, Boston officially signed Jaylen Brown to the most lucrative deal in NBA history, a whopping $304 million dollars that spans the next several years.
Whether he’ll continue to live up to his All-NBA self remains to be seen, but it was a necessary deal for Boston in locking up one of their All-NBA wings.
But it’s no secret, even with a blooming salary cap per the newest NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, that around $60 million per year will cut into a huge chunk of the Celtics cap. And for that reason, signing good role players to cheap deals will be pivotal to the team’s contention for the next half-decade.
Luckily for Boston, OKC has already done just that, and might be willing to move off the contracts. For a price.
Oklahoma City has been after draft capital for years now. Not only to accrue what is essentially the NBA’s currency, but to bolster their roster in the process.
A swap between the two teams could make some sense if Boston lands cheap contracts and OKC continues to add to their stockpile while gaining future roster and money flexibility.
Here’s what a deal between Oklahoma City and Boston could look like:
Oklahoma City gets: Payton Pritchard, Top Five Protected 2025 Celtics first round pick, Unprotected 2027 Hawks second round pick
Boston gets: Kenrich Williams, Aaron Wiggins
In this deal, OKC lands guard Payton Pritchard and a few picks. With Marcus Smart now in Memphis, Pritchard might have an easier time finding playing time, but there’s still Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White to contend with. The Thunder could help his value to blossom before he hits the open market after next season.
The 2025 first rounder would have some real value with low protections, despite likely landing somewhere in the 20’s. At worst, OKC could likely flip it for a player similar to Williams’ caliber down the line or include it in a much bigger package. And the second is additional compensation.
Boston would get another strong defensive player and versatile forward in Kenrich Williams, who’s set to make around $6-7 million each year through 2026-27. Aaron Wiggins, a highly versatile guard who’s had a real impact on winning for OKC in recent years, is still on his four-year rookie deal. And likely wouldn’t command anything outlandish when his deal is up in 2024-25.
The Thunder offload two contracts, making their roster crunch easier, add more compensation and Boston makes away with solid role players to put next to their highly-paid stars.
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