Jrue Holiday Trade Idea: Spurs Get Involved, Acquire Celtics' Malcolm Brogdon
Outside of adding Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Draft, the summer of 2023 has been relatively slow for the San Antonio Spurs. Their roster is very much future-oriented, headlined by young and improving players like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Tre Jones, and Zach Collins. It seems like Sochan, Wembanyama, Johnson, and Vassell are locks for the starting lineup, which means that Gregg Popovich will have a decision to make: should his team have a starting lineup with a traditional center or a traditional point guard?
If Pop wants to trot out a center, Zach Collins is the obvious answer. Wembanyama will be more comfortable playing forward, and the floor general duties can be pawned off on Vassell or Sochan. However, if he wants to have Johnson, Sochan, and Wembanyama in the frontcourt, adding an experienced point guard would be the best option.
Don’t get me wrong. I am easily Tre Jones’ biggest fan and am not suggesting that the Spurs trade him. I do believe that there are upgrades that could be made, and shipping out some talent for a starting-caliber point guard to pair with Wembanyama makes sense.
Enter the Boston Celtics. They have been shopping Malcolm Brogdon around all offseason, and the Spurs have been linked to Brogdon before. Plus, the Celtics are expected to try and trade for Jrue Holiday to replace Marcus Smart as a defensive-oriented point guard. With Derrick White also playing for Boston, that leaves Brogdon as the odd man out.
Malcolm Brogdon switches to cover Spurs' Zach Collins.
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, Brogdon took home a well-deserved Sixth Man of the Year award, but in SA he would be a day-one starter. No worries there, as Brogdon posted 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, and a decent 37 percent from three in his four years as a full-time starter for the Bucks and Pacers. Not exactly elite, but he is perfectly capable of running point, and with two high-level wings, a young Dennis Rodman clone, and a generational prospect surrounding him, the offensive load wouldn’t rest on Brogdon’s shoulders.
Adding a veteran presence like Brogdon doesn’t make the Spurs instant favorites to win the West, but adding some leadership to play alongside two teenagers in the starting five isn’t a horrible idea. If the Spurs put together a package of Collins, Doug McDermott, and a 2024 first-round pick via Toronto, Boston might be hard-pressed to pass that up, especially with Robert Williams III and Kristaps Porzingis’ injury histories. Does it move the needle for either team? No, but it provides some peace of mind that is hard to come by in the NBA.
