The Boston Celtics can add long-term flexibility by making a tread in the near future.
ESPN's Bobby Marks on Tuesday floated a trade proposal, in which the Celtics would send guard Dennis Schröder to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for draft picks ahead of the Feb. 10 NBA deadline. The deal Marks "wants to see" would move the Celtics under the luxury-tax threshold and boost their chances of landing an impact free agent in the offseason.
Schröder's expiring $5.9 million contract easily would fit "... into the Mavericks' $10.8 million trade exception," Marks wrote. "The Celtics would get back the Mavericks' second-round picks in 2022 and 2024. This trade would put the Celtics under the luxury tax."
Schröder probably is Boston's most-logical trade candidate, given the combination of his proven ability to contribute and his bargain-basement deal. Contract offers he'll receive in the open market almost certainly will be more lucrative than the maximum $7.1 million deal the Celtics will be able to offer him this summer, so Boston might be keen to trade him in the coming weeks and add to its trade-exception purse.
If he goes, the Celtics sorely would miss the contributions of a player who in 2021-22 is averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. However, teams must give up something of value in order to receive valuables from other teams. This simply is a rule of sports business.
