NBA Trades: 3 offseason trade ideas for the Boston Celtics
NBA Trades: 3 offseason trade ideas for the Boston Celtics: Washington Wizards
Boston Celtics Get: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Washington Wizards Get: 2024 1st-Round Pick (Lottery Protected), 2023 2nd-Round Pick (via ORL)
This would be Boston’s best-case scenario. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a starting-caliber shooting guard, who’s already proven that he can be an instrumental piece of a title team. As a very smart defender with very good size, KCP could legitimately match up with other teams’ guards and forwards.
He would fit like a glove in the Celtics’ switching defensive scheme. In a lineup that could feature Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Rob Williams, KCP, and reigning DPOY Marcus Smart, there is an argument that Caldwell-Pope is the “worst” defender of the group. Having KCP as your “worst” defender is a nightmarish proposition for opposing teams.
On offense, he is a reliable three-point shooter, shooting 42% on catch and shoot threes, including 43% on wide-open ones. He is also a player who plays within his role and does not take any ill-advised shots. According to NBA.com tracking data, 49% of Caldwell-Pope’s shots came without taking a single dribble.
This means he is either shooting the ball if he is open or he is making quick decisions and moving the ball forward. In other words, he does not waste time dribbling, and that is exactly the type of player that this team needs.
He would give the Celtics the knockdown shooter they so desperately need to open up the court for the Jays without having to sacrifice much on the other end of the court. Whether he would be coming off the bench and closing off games or starting, Caldwell-Pope would be the perfect addition to this team.