New B/R trade proposal sees Celtics ship Dennis Schroder, Josh Richardson to Utah Jazz

The Boston Celtics have significant concerns with their current roster and are thus likely among the teams in the NBA most likely to be making trades ahead of the February 10 deadline, now less than one month in the future.

But with the franchise signaling their lack of interest in breaking up their pairing of All-Star forwards in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, it seems very unlikely the club will be among those making what we might call a blockbuster deal happen. That leaves a lot of room on the margins to improve, and any such deal will have to make sense for improving the team around those two young stars in the middle term if not the short, meaning the team could sell off veterans now for a future star deal later.

Analysts around the NBA media sphere have been working to try and prognosticate what the Celtics might do to such an end, and one such estimation was recently published by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.

Noting that the Celtics can use a boost to their playmaking and shooting while also shrinking their payroll, Favale has concocted a hypothetical trade with the Utah Jazz that would theoretically address all three concerns for Boston.

The deal in question? The Celtics get Joe Ingles, Jared Butler, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 first-round draft pick swap option (pending Utah’s 2022 obligation to Memphis), while the Jazz receive Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder.

“Left untouched, Utah is a title contender,” writes Favale. “But it needs to juice up its wing defense and backup playmaking to be viewed in the same menacing light as Golden State or Phoenix. This deal checks both boxes.

“Richardson is (quietly) canning more than 39 percent of his threes and defending everywhere from the point of attack up to heftier assignments. Schroder is erratic, but he’s a passing (and rim-pressure) upgrade over the Trent Forrest minutes.”

“Jettisoning Ingles is an emotional gut-punch,” adds the Bleacher Report analyst. “The Jazz can’t afford to care. He has been up and down for most of this season, and his defensive utility is on the decline. Adding Jared Butler and a first-round swap shouldn’t worry Utah.”

“Utah’s own tax bill spikes with this package,” Favale relates. “Whatever.”

“The Jazz are already waist-deep in the tax, and bagging two players who factor into their playoff rotation significantly boosts their title odds.”

There is some truth to the fact that the Celtics may not have much leverage given Schroder’s deal is expiring with re-signing an unlikely outcome.

But, that doesn’t require Boston to give up another player — Richardson, hitting over 40% of his 3s while logging 10.6 points per game — currently playing better than Ingles is, even considering the mediocre asset haul being proposed.

While Ingles is a better distributor than J-Rich, he’s also nearly a half-decade older and on an expiring deal. Boston has Richardson for another season on a cheaper contract with better defense to boot.

That is, along with the passing, the ostensible attraction apart from a second and a pick swap, but Memphis and Utah will both be good in the years proposed, making the asset play underwhelming.

With Jared Butler a raw talent unlikely to help either club in the near future, we find it difficult to believe Boston might not find better returns (and salary relief) with other, potentially smaller deals.

Favale isn’t beyond that possibility and has suggested the core of a deal might be there for Utah with elements from his proposal trimmed down a bit given Schroder “fits into the Derrick Favors trade exception, and Ingles or Jordan Clarkson can be the outbound salary in a Richardson acquisition.”

Trading for Clarkson doesn’t seem to move the needle much for Boston, but the Memphis pick for Schroder seems a logical move for both parties, instantly clearing cap space to help Boston avoid the tax while also bringing back a modest asset.

If no team is willing to offer a first for Schroder’s services — and we’d be surprised if they did given his recent uneven play — this seems like a solid option that would improve all parties’ fortunes.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

[mm-video type=video id=01fb7c45ppra7d5r326s playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fb7c45ppra7d5r326s/01fb7c45ppra7d5r326s-99463bcaee36b7747004b01abc90d530.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=68328,68299,68295,67725]

[listicle id=68296]

[vertical-gallery id=68336]

1

1