Boston Celtics: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Adam Taylor
Trading Aron Baynes and 24th overall pick
A draft-day trade saw the Boston Celtics move the 24th overall pick and Aron Baynes to the Phoenix Suns in return for the Milwaukee Bucks 2020 first-round pick, which is top-seven protected in 2020 and unprotected in 2021.
The pick Boston traded away ended up turning into Ty Jerome, but that is not important. What’s important is the loss of fan favorite Aron Baynes.
With everything that was happening at the time of this trade, it was looking increasingly likely the Celtics would be embracing a youth movement.
The thought process at the time of the draft is understandable, however, in hindsight this trade actually made Boston’s life harder just a few weeks later.
Baynes, while not prolific in any one aspect, was developing a 3-point shot and provided solid defense and rebounding off the bench. He was reliable when needed to step into the starting lineup and not afraid to mix it up in the paint.
While he moves on to pastures new, Boston is now disjointed at the 5 spot and in need of a reliable backup big. Furthermore, Baynes had exercised his player option worth $5.9 million for the year, a very tradeable contract when getting closer to the deadline had the Celtics seen fit.
When looking at the pick Boston received as part of this trade, odds are it will convey into a late first-round pick in 2020. Should the Celtics use the pick or move it in a trade further down the line remains to be seen.
What seemed like a good trade at the time has backfired almost immediately making this arguably their worst move of the summer.