Analysts are all in on the prospect of a $17 million wing coming off the bench of the Boston Celtics.
Dallas Basketball’s Isaac Bourne believes Tim Hardaway Jr. comes off the bench for the Boston Celtics, following a hypothetical deal from NBA Analysis Network in which the Cs send Malcolm Brogdon in exchange for the 2013 New York Knicks first-round selection pick. Boston also believes that such a proposition would benefit Derrick White.
“As for the Celtics,” Bourne said, “he’d be a valuable scorer in their second unit for a team that only has one true shooting guard on its roster in Jaylen Brown.” Also, with Derrick White’s emergence, moving Brogdon allows the Celtics to give him more minutes.
“With a $22 million base salary compared to Hardaway’s $17 million in 2023-24, the Celtics would net $5 million in this deal, which is always valuable to a team that just inked Brown to the biggest contract in NBA history.”
Tim Hardaway Jr. is too inefficient to be useful for the Boston Celtics’ second team, which features Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving but few other shot-creators. He’d be a needless volume scorer for the Boston Celtics, who already have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White creating opportunities for themselves. Having a fifth score-first shooter is an unnecessary luxury; one that may lose that title if the franchise loses as a result of acquiring him.
Hardaway will have a place in the NBA for many years to come, but he is unlikely to find one in Boston.
Given that he has two years remaining on his contract, the Celtics would be better off trying to trade Brogdon for a player on an expiring contract so Brad Stevens can maintain flexibility moving forward with a rising cap-sheet and imminent punitive tax penalties to taxpaying teams.
