Can Brogdon get Boston over the line in 2023 NBA Finals?

Coming off the heels of a tough NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Celtics have traded for Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics traded a bunch of depth pieces and one first-round pick for him. On the surface, it looks like a steal for the Celtics and Brogdon will be a key aspect of their title runs in the coming seasons.

On the Pacers’ side of the trade, there is not too much to talk about. They are blowing up their team and entering a rebuild. They probably could have gotten more for a player of Brogdon’s ability, but they just wanted to get as many assets as possible and will hope to bottom out. In turn, they hope they will find a new superstar to build around in next year’s NBA Draft.

For the Celtics, this is a great deal. Brogdon is a great two-way player who will add another good piece to this ascending Celtics team. The issue with Brogdon, however, is he has only played more than 60 games once in his past five seasons and he has a long injury history.


When he is healthy, though, Brogdon can control an offense, and he averaged nearly 20 points per game last season. He brings a lot of defensive intensity and will fit right in with Boston’s scheme. Now with Brogdon, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams and Marcus Smart, the Celtics will put out a defensive lineup that can slow even the best of offenses.

It’s unclear whether Brogdon and Smart will start together; the most likely situation is that the Celtics put one of them on the bench. Either way, getting a player of Brogdon’s talent is never a bad thing, and as long as he can stay healthy, this trade will pay dividends for the Celtics.

The Celtics are now outright favorites to win the Eastern Conference at +220 with Bovada, while they are also high up in NBA title betting at +600. Although this team went so close just last year, these prices are a little too short for our liking. There will be more trades that shift the odds as the new season inches closer, so we will likely get a better number on the Celtics down the track.


Regardless, this move appears to make the Celtics one of the powers in the NBA, and if Brogdon can stay healthy, they will be a force in next year’s NBA season. Brogdon is one of the most underrated players in the league and will give Boston’s opponents yet another scorer to worry about. The key will come down to health, but considering what the Celtics gave up, it looks like it was worth the risk.

More sports news