The Celtics need to shake up their roster by adding without taking too much away.

One way of doing that is to trade Malcolm Brogdon after he just won the Sixth Man of the Year in his first season with Boston.

Brogdon can be the centerpiece around any trade Boston maneuvers this summer. He has two-years left on a $45 million contract he signed with Indiana and has an annual salary of $22,500,000 million for the next two years. 

Trading Brogdon is also a move that doesn’t disrupt the core built around Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams.

A trade that works is sending Brogdon to Portland for Anfernee Simons.

If the Trailblazers part ways with Damien Lillard, they’re going to need a point guard to run the show in Portland and a savvy veteran like Brogdon could be that guy. 

Brogdon going to Portland will give him the chance to be a starter again and run a team, similar to how he was used in Indiana.

It’s worth pointing out that I’m not including Lillard in this deal, as I don’t think it makes sense for Boston to acquire him.

Brogdon would be a great addition for Portland. He averaged 14.9 points on 49/45/87 shooting splits in 67 games in 2022-23, which is the most games he’s been available to play since his rookie season in Milwaukee.

Portland has a decent set up of players right now to make decisions on and possibly build around if they do in fact move on from Lillard, players like Jerami Grant and Matisse Thybulle.

Adding Brogdon would only enhance and create a dynamic trio for the Trailblazers.

The Celtics adding Simons makes sense in regards to bringing in a younger player who’s already ascending in the league, on a manageable contract that’s similar to Brogdon’s annually at $22,321,429 million.

Simons averaged 21.1 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent of his 3-pointers. 

Although he’s a guard, I can see him sliding into a three role in Boston and being able to switch well on defense.

The new CBA makes things like this challenging but the way Wyc Grousbeck has openly said many times that he wants to see Brad Stevens spend and add players the way he thinks is best for the team, so I don’t think going into the second taxapron will bother him.

We’ll find out.

Follow us on Twitter @CelticsFiles