Should the Boston Celtics try to trade for the Brooklyn Nets’ Lonny Walker IV?

Does Walker offer anything Pritchard does not?

Should the Boston Celtics try to trade for the Brooklyn Nets’ Lonny Walker IV ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? They could certainly use a bit more scoring off the bench, but how is the fit of Walker’s game with what Boston would need from him in such a role? Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently weighed in on this question, and was not impressed with the potential of such a pairing despite the Nets wing being linked to Boston in recent reporting.

“His production is erratic, but his good nights can be hugely helpful,” writes Buckley. “He has netted 20-plus points six times this season, and he logged fewer than 28 minutes in all but one of those tilts. However, he is basically a (6-foot-4) scoring specialist.”

“What are the chances he could actually crack the playoff rotation?” asks the B/R analyst, and while we are higher on that potentiality, we have to admit, it wouldn’t likely be the minutes he has been used to in Brooklyn.

Buckley asks us “what would make Walker’s quick-strike scoring the better choice than Pritchard’s superior shooting and ball-control?”, and it’s a fair question. “Walker is bigger and a better athlete, sure, but his physical tools have never translated to consistent defense.”

That a 6-foot-1 guard already on Boston’s roster is a better defender and less prone to miss time injured has the B/R analyst suggesting the Celtics stay clear, and we concur.

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