Boston Celtics: A possible Lou Williams trade scenario

It’s been no secret this season that the Los Angeles Clippers have been shopping their star players. Lou Williams has been in the center of those rumors and this Boston Celtics trade that can put them to rest.

The Los Angeles Clippers recently traded away fan favorite and franchise player, Blake Griffin. After doing so, reports started to spill out that they’re not done make moves.

The other two players that have been in a whirlwind of rumors are DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams.

Both of these players are in contract years, which means the Clippers might not get as much in return as they may like. Jordan’s contract is a massive one – earning a little over $22 million. However, Williams is making a cheap $7 million this season, which is a steal for any team with the way he’s been playing this year.

Let’s put some of these rumors to rest and look at one possible trade scenario involving Williams and the Boston Celtics.

The trade:

Why the Celtics say yes:

Reports have been coming out these past few days that the Boston Celtics are in the market to trade defensive-minded guard, Marcus Smart. They’re hoping for a first round pick in return, per the New York Times‘ Marc Stein, but I believe that receiving Williams instead could spark interest in the front office.

We know how much Danny Ainge loves draft picks, but having Williams come off your bench would allow Boston to have a great chance at winning the title, and since he’s the end goal anyway, why not pursue a deal straight up?

More than likely, they would have to play the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in a potential Finals series. The Celtics have faced the Dubs twice this year, and hold a 1-1 record. The first game they won and was a defensive effort by both teams, but the second game had more offense. In order to beat the Warriors, you need a combination of good defense and offense.

The Celtics’ offense is not very good, but that’s why the Williams trade scenario is a perfect win for them. Boston ranks 24th in the NBA in points scored (103.2 per game) and 23rd in bench scoring (31.6 points per game). Adding Williams could create a massive surge in that category.

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Generated 2/6/2018.

Lou Will could have been an All-Star this year, but I think the idea that he’s coming off the bench, plays for the Clippers and a loaded West had a lot to do in snubbing him from the game. He’s been absolutely balling out this season. He’s averaging 23.3 points per game and can hit the 3-ball with ease.

Adding him would allow the Celtics offense to improve drastically. He does come off the bench, which could be a great thing moving forward. When the starters rest, the Celtics do have a tendency to slow down a lot.

Not only does the offense lag, but the Celtics have a hard time scoring and getting shots up without Kyrie Iriving.

Williams has the ability to score the ball and create his own shot. This trade is the easy solution to some of those problems. Sure, Williams isn’t the best defender, but the Celtics defense can easily be just as good without Smart. Throughout the season the team has had the best defensive rating with an impressive 99.9. In the past six games that Smart has been out, they still stand at 100.0.

Some may argue that it wouldn’t be wise from the Celtics side of things because of age purposes and the fact that Smart is a restricted free agent. However, Williams fills the glaring issues for the Celtics and the team would only get better. If you have the opportunity to win a ring, you go out and make deals that can get you to that point. This trade is one that will better position them to win games over Smart.

While the Celtics may have wanted a first round pick for Smart, getting Williams in return is a better scenario. He can help with the offensive woes and immediately make them the East favorites. Now the trick to such a hypothetical deal would be getting the Clippers to bite.

Why the Clippers say yes:

The Clippers have been looking to unload Williams for quite a while now. This trade would be beneficial for the organization. Both Williams and Smart are in contract years, but the difference is Smart is a lot younger. He’s still just 23 years old and could become a player they look to rebuild with. They would love his defensive effort as well, and he’s only going to get better. The team can look at it as getting a young player who they can essentially retain in the offseason.

Smart will be a restricted free agent, while Williams is an unrestricted. More than likely, Williams will choose to leave L.A. given the Clippers’ status and his age, whereas Smart can be retained because they will be able to match any offer he receives.

The main thing for the team is to look toward the future. They already traded Blake Griffin and are looking at the possibility of trading DeAndre Jordan as well. They were able to get Tobias Harris, who is still 25, and Avery Bradley, who’s 27 as well.

The main takeaways from the Clippers’ point of view, is that they can still stay competitive while rebuilding. They’re getting a young player in Smart who can become one of the focal points of their franchise down the line — not to mention the fact that if the Clippers trade Jordan, they could earn some extra assets for the future.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft big board: End of January

Both sides benefit from this trade. The Celtics get a much-needed bench scorer who can change the game for them, while the Clippers finally get rid of Williams and receive a young asset that can help them in the long-term.