The Boston Celtics accomplished two important off-season goals by trading Tristan Thompson for guard Kris Dunn. Bruno Fernando was also included in the deal. ESPN"s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal. The deal also involves Boston getting a 2023 second round pick. The Sacramento Kings will be part of the deal, getting Thompson in exchange for Delon Wright.
The first goal was cleaning up the crowded frontcourt by trading Thompson away. He was part of a brutal final off-season for Danny Ainge, and his cavalier attitude towards the regular season did Boston no favors when it came to gutting through tough stretches.
“I really think it's a bunch of horseshit,” he said of the regular season back in April. “I've been on teams, you know, my final good year in Cleveland, we finished fourth. And we kind of did it on purpose because we kind of wanted to stay fresh. ... “So that shit don’t really matter to me. That don't matter to me.”
On the court, Thompson was never the power option behind Robert Williams or Daniel Theis. He was signed to handle the tough, brutish center assignments while still providing a level of switchability. Those traits showed themselves too infrequently, though Thompson would occasionally flash enough rebounding prowess to justify his presence on the floor, but he never was able to be the defensive anchor Ainge and Brad Stevens hoped to be. He finished the season a -2.19 in ESPN’s real plus/minus, defined as the player's average impact in terms of net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions.
That’s good for 69th among NBA centers.
Like many moves, this move is about money first, as it saves Boston nearly $3 million this upcoming season. Dunn makes just over $5 million while Fernando makes nearly $1.8. Fernando is a 6’9” center who doesn’t shoot, and likely was included to make the money work. These could be exponential savings if it reduces a salary cap bill, or it could give Boston a little extra wiggle room in negotiations with Evan Fournier. By using Thompson to acquire Dunn, the Celtics also preserved their $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception and those traded player exceptions that haven’t yet expired.
This is an interesting full-circle for Dunn, who fans wanted in 2016 because it would have meant Boston was likely picking for the Chicago Bulls and they were getting Jimmy Butler. Instead, Dunn went to Minnesota, and was included in the Butler trade that way, but his career trajectory has obviously been much different than Jaylen Brown’s, whom the Celtics picked instead of Dunn in 2016.
Boston will be Dunn’s fourth team in six injury-riddled seasons. He missed 15 months with dueling right knee and ankle injuries.
“I just felt like different things just kept happening,” Dunn told AJC.com. “My initial injury was my knee, I felt like I was on the verge of getting better there, then the ankle situation happened. I felt like I was on the verge of getting better there, then the knee kept (having issues), it was just back and forth trying to get back, the alignment all back right.”
An illness further delayed his return last season but he was cleared to play late in Atlanta’s playoff run. Dunn, a 27-year-old, 6’3” point guard, is known for being a defensive menace, and he’ll bring some much-needed size to Boston’s backcourt. He’s not a shooter, but he can pass the ball and run point when the Celtics don’t feel like they can play Payton Pritchard.
This amounts to a one-year flier on Dunn, who is hoping his health issues are behind him. Dunn, a New Englander from New London, Connecticut and who went to Providence College, hopes to find a productive role as a backup for Boston. If he can step up for about 20 minutes a game, run the offense, and defend at a high level, he could see the floor in clutch situations alongside Marcus Smart, giving the defensive-minded Ime Udoka two dogs at the point of attack.
If not, he’ll be looking for his fifth team next summer ... maybe sooner.
