In just a few preseason games, the Malcolm Brogdon trade has already looked to be a smart move for the Boston Celtics. Boston sent a late first round pick and a collection of players to Indiana in exchange for the former Rookie of the Year, as Brogdon no longer fit Indiana’s timeline for a rebuild and his injury issues lowered his trade value around the league. As a sixth man, Brogdon’s size and floor general skills have provided a much-needed boost to a Celtic offense that could use another ball-handler.
In recent interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, Brogdon revealed that Indiana gave him the option to go of one three teams, with two of them, Boston and Toronto, becoming feasible options to pull off a trade. Ultimately, Brogdon explained that he Boston because they gave him the best opportunity to win, thanks to their two superstar players.
“At the end of the day, we knew there was Boston, we knew Toronto we knew DC,” Brogdon said of his trade options. “DC fell off after the draft since they were thinking about trading that 10th pick for me. Toronto and Boston popped up. We had a choice to pursue — there wasn’t an offer on the table yet from either of them but the Pacers came to me and said we could pursue either of them and which one would I rather pursue? I choose Boston.”
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“I thought this team was farther along,” Brogdon said of Boston. “They have a superstar in Jayson Tatum and probably another superstar in Jaylen Brown as well. I thought it would be a great fit for me because I wanted to win right now.”
Brogdon would have certainly been an interesting fit alongside Toronto’s brigade of rangy wings, but his assessment of Boston is correct. While the suspension of Ime Udoka looms over the team this year, the former Rookie of the Year should provide an added boost as the Celtics attempt to return to the NBA Finals.