Category: Celtics

Damian Lillard: Potential trade offers from his preferred destinations

If Damian Lillard is traded, here are what offers from the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks would look like.

Damian Lillard’s future with or away from Portland has been speculated on for almost two years now. He continues to express a desire to remain with the Trail Blazers while the organization has struggled to field a competitive roster around him. Landing the third overall selection in this year’s draft has only fueled more speculation because of the predicament it gives the organization: trade it for players who can help Lillard win now, or draft his potential long-term replacement.

While Lillard has stated that his preference is to remain in Portland, he also says that there would need to be “a separate conversation” on his future if they fail to put a strong team around him. When asked by ESPN’s Brian Custer to rank New York, Miami, Boston, and Brooklyn as potential destinations, he chose Miami as his preference among the group.

Here are the best possible trade offers each of these teams could make in the event Lillard becomes available.

Celtics offseason primer: Jaylen Brown’s future, Grant Williams, more

The Boston Celtics will prioritize keeping Jaylen Brown long-term this summer while also making a decision on the future Grant Williams.

The Boston Celtics seemed set to be a title contender for a long period of time after a strong mid-season turnaround last year that resulted in an NBA Finals appearance. The team seemed unbothered by the unexpected coaching change during the regular season but it may have impacted them in the playoffs. While making the Conference Finals five times in the last seven seasons is a great accomplishment, they continue to fall short of their goal of winning a championship.

The Celtics shouldn’t get discouraged by this year’s results considering how strong the top of the Eastern Conference is. They still have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league, so they’ll be right back in the title mix next season without having to make significant changes. Their offseason will mostly revolve around long-term decisions on key players.

Here is a preview of the 2023 offseason for the Boston Celtics.

2023 Aggregate NBA Mock Draft: Brandon Miller climbs to No. 2; Taylor Hendricks rising

HoopsHype’s aggregate NBA mock draft reports which teams may trade their picks and lists rising players, including Brandon Miller, Taylor Hendricks, and more.

Following the NBA Draft Combine, mock draft boards have shifted with the lottery results unveiled and several players rising, including Brandon Miller, Taylor Hendricks, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Ben Sheppard.

To better project where the top prospects currently stand, we compiled 10 mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, NBADraft.net, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, Yahoo, SB Nation, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

Then, HoopsHype gathered thoughts from multiple NBA executives and scouts for their insight on the projected first-round picks for the sixth edition of the aggregate mock draft to find the answer.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking. 

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report. 

NBA intel: James Harden free agency, Doc Rivers, Sixers, Rockets, Nets, more

The latest NBA intel on the futures of James Harden and Doc Rivers with the 76ers, and coaching updates for the Rockets, Nets, Frank Vogel, and more from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Hours ahead of the 2023 NBA draft lottery, executives and scouts arrived at Wintrust Arena and hotels nearby in Chicago buzzing about the futures of Sixers star James Harden and coach Doc Rivers and other coaching spots around the league.

HoopsHype spoke with NBA execs and scouts on hand to get their takes on the futures of Harden and Rivers, who could be coaching candidates in Philadelphia if Rivers is let go, and the latest coaching intel on the Rockets, Nets, Mavericks, Celtics, and interest in former head coaches Frank Vogel and Stephen Silas.

NBA Notebook: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Patrick Beverley, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, more

Reporting on the potential buyout market for Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Patrick Beverley, and an Alex Caruso interview on HoopsHype.

The fallout from the NBA’s trade deadline continues with several former All-Stars considering new destinations, such as Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.

With that in mind, this week’s NBA notebook includes the new intel on the Miami Heat and New York Knicks and conversations with Chicago Bulls players Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond from our Michael Scotto. Plus, the latest buyout market commentary on Love, Patrick Beverley, and others from our capologist Yossi Gozlan, and a free agency stock watch from our Frank Urbina.

NBA Intel: Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Grant Williams, more

Reporting on Mikal Bridges trade talk, free agency for Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Grant Williams and more from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto

When the dust settled from the trade deadline, there were 53 players traded, and over $500 million in salaries moved this week.

With the deadline behind us, check out the latest intel gathered by HoopsHype on trade talks that fell through and some things to keep an eye on with free agency looming.

NBA Intel: Kevin Durant, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, OG Anunoby, Knicks, Raptors, Grizzlies

Reporting on trade talks for Kevin Durant, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, OG Anunoby, Knicks, Raptors, and more from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto

Kevin Durant shifted the landscape of the NBA literally and figuratively when the Brooklyn Nets sent the All-Star forward and TJ Warren West to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 pick swap.

Wednesday night also included Kyrie Irving’s Dallas debut, D’Angelo Russell, Russell Westbrook, Mike Conley, Josh Hart, Jakob Poeltl, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt all getting traded.

With hours left before the trade deadline buzzer, you’ll find all the latest intel gathered by HoopsHype.

All the players linked to the Boston Celtics in trade rumors

The Boston Celtics have been extremely active on the trade market since Brad Stevens took over as president of basketball operations. They seem more likely than not to make a trade of some kind this week considering they’re one of the title …

The Boston Celtics have been extremely active on the trade market since Brad Stevens took over as president of basketball operations. They seem more likely than not to make a trade of some kind this week considering they’re one of the title favorites this year. The question is, do they make a marginal rotation upgrade or do they swing for something bigger?

As mentioned in this year’s HoopsHype trade guide, the Celtics have the means to get all sorts of trades done. They can move up to three first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, which they could use to acquire a starting-caliber player. They also have several second-round picks, including three in this year’s upcoming draft that they could part with for some bench reinforcements. Depending on their appetite to increase their $59 million luxury tax bill, they could absorb a player using their $5.9 million trade exception.

Below is a list of players they’ve been linked to and a potential framework for them.

Four potential Kevin Durant trade destinations (if the Nets blow things up)

The Kyrie Irving trade saga came to a swift conclusion when the Nets agreed to trade him and Markieff Morris to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a 2029 first-round pick. It might be safe to assume that the Nets will aim …

The Kyrie Irving trade saga came to a swift conclusion when the Nets agreed to trade him and Markieff Morris to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a 2029 first-round pick. It might be safe to assume that the Nets will aim to remain competitive at least for this season based on the return they got for Irving.

But with Irving officially gone, what if Kevin Durant decides to reopen his trade request again? According to Chris Haynes, the Suns are prepared to pursue Durant should he become available. With rival teams circling the Nets for this scenario, here is Brooklyn’s outlook if they continue competing versus eventually blowing it up.

Top NBA Trade Candidates Eligible After December 15

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan discuss top trade candidates who can be traded starting December 15 on the podcast.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan discuss the top trade candidates who can be moved starting December 15th on the latest HoopsHype podcast episode.

For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.