After months of guesswork and not-so-obscure wishes, the Indiana Pacers finally dropped the axe on Malcolm Brogdon, sending him to the Boston Celtics in a move that should benefit both clubs in the long-run.
Sending Brogdon to the Celtics was a bit unprecedented, but the Pacers were still able to clinch what they wanted all along—a first-round pick and some serious cap relief. Along with those, Indiana also acquired a miscellany of players which include Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, and Juwan Morgan.
The Indiana Pacers fortify their youth movement and acquire more financial flexibility after trading Malcolm Brogdon
Like all trades though, there will always be winners and losers. Some are manifest and noticeable right on the first impression, but there are also unintended consequences that may ricochet on a particular player or two.
Thus, without further ado, here are the biggest winners and losers from the Pacers-Celtics trade involving Malcolm Brogdon.
Indiana Pacers: Winners and losers from the Malcolm Brogdon trade
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Moving Malcolm Brogdon was always associated with the need to truly liberate Tyrese Haliburton and unleash him as the full-time orchestrator of the team.
The Indiana Pacers, maybe out of seniority and transition, were still very conducive to letting Brogdon handle the rock for the most part in the limited minutes he played with Haliburton. Evidently, the team trotted a more predictable attack with this configuration, with the latter obviously shown to be suppressed by the ball-dominant veteran.
However, with Brogdon now out of the way, Haliburton’s usage rate should soar, allowing him to maximize his tremendous playmaking and shot creation on a team that clearly fits his style better than his methodical and oft-erratic predecessor.
Loser: The Pacers’ veteran trio and the Pacers’ small window of not rebuilding
In a way, it always felt like the Pacers showed more restraint than most teams in handling a transition period. However, trading Brogdon is a major step toward truly moving full-blast on a potential fire sale, especially for their veterans.
Whether it happens this offseason or percolates over to the actual campaign, expect Indiana to aggressively pursue trades for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and TJ McConnell. Demand for the first two should be ample, while the latter should still command a small market for his niche services.
Anyway, this should be more than enough to quash any potential of the Pacers jettisoning a slated rebuild. They already made a substantial leap direction-wise, and after trading one of the biggest inhibitors from that, there is absolutely no turning back.
Indiana Pacers: Winners and losers from the Malcolm Brogdon trade
Winner: Boston Celtics
After ending the 2021-22 season as runners-up to the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Celtics took another leap forward, this time using outside help to further bolster their championship cause for the next campaign.
Adding Malcolm Brogdon fills a big chunk of what the Celtics lacked: a dynamic and legitimate playmaker who can soak possessions as the prime playmaker and take pressure away from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. His basketball IQ, veteran experience, and defensive malleability are nothing to scoff at, either.
Combine this with their latest addition of Danilo Gallinari, and Boston suddenly touts one of, if not the best and deepest roster in basketball. Just in the backcourt alone, opposing teams will have to deal with Brown, Brogdon, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and even Payton Pritchard. Yikes.
Loser: Los Angeles Lakers
Over the last month or so, Lakers fans, LeBron James fans, Russell Westbrook detractors, small-market haters, and even big-name media heads, have joined forces at poking the Indiana Pacers and trying to force a scenario where the team trades Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, and/or Myles Turner for, well, meh.
Bad news for the Lakers though, as the Pacers picked their archnemesis as the destination for Brogdon. With Hield and Turner very likely to command a strong pool of potential bidders on their own, Indiana should have no shortage of assets to choose from.
If anything, this crashes any possibility of the Pacers engaging the Lakers on a Westbrook-centric deal as a salary dump (and a headache subrogor).
Indiana Pacers: Winners and losers from the Malcolm Brogdon trade
Winner: Marcus Smart
Pundits have pointed to Marcus Smart as far from the Boston Celtics’ ideal point guard to support their two cornerstones. His weaknesses do give that some credence, but his strengths, while veering away from the team’s actual needs, are crucial for their success. Any other take is wrong.
Fortunately for the Defensive Player of the League, adding Brogdon should prompt the Celtics to relegate him to a more capitalizing and less exacting role. Brogdon is not Chris Paul or even Haliburton, but utilizing him as a featured release valve for the offense should allow Smart to be a less predictable creator, giving him more time to focus on spot-up shooting and supplementary scoring rather than being cudgeled into a misplaced solo playmaking role.
Loser: Eastern Conference contenders
While the Celtics made the NBA Finals last season, many still have the Milwaukee Bucks atop their Eastern Conference and even league forecasts. However, after adding Brogdon and Gallinari, other contenders in the conference should be doing double or tiple duty.
Giannis Antetokounmpo alone negates any marginal advantages that Boston has, but the Milwaukee Bucks are not a deep team. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat as constructed are far from being as imposing as previous two. The Philadelphia 76ers should remain in the running, but their new Rockets DNA and ever-wavering health blurs them a tad.
The Brooklyn Nets are nearing a fire-sale to cap off one of the biggest fumbles in league history. The Atlanta Hawks’ addition of Dejounte Murray may not be enough to even vault them into contention. The Toronto Raptors are still a season away. Mirror for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Chicago Bulls are right in the middle—and will probably remain there.
As things current stand, the Boston is the team to beat in the East. Milwaukee is a close second, but the others will clearly be on the chase, one that could easily be a very arduous one.