After the Celtics lost in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors in 2022, it was clear they were missing something. Their scoring and playmaking off the bench was limited, and the offense often grew stagnant late in games. Malcolm Brogdon was the front office’s offseason answer to those problems, and it should have been a home-run trade.
Brogdon was coming off a season in which he averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds for the Pacers. Without giving up any key rotation pieces, Boston added a veteran guard with a track record of scoring and moving the ball at a high level.