The Boston Celtics have added some depth at power forward by acquiring Juancho Hernangomez from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The trade:
Boston gets: Hernangomez, 2026 second round pick
Memphis gets: Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, 2026 second round pick
BSJ Analysis:
The 30,000 foot view of this deal is that Boston got a reclamation project at power forward in exchange for a player acquired in a salary dump and a player who was on his way out somehow, so this is a pretty low-risk trade.
Financially, the salaries match almost exactly, so the Celtics didn’t get themselves anywhere as far as tax savings, so they’ll have to address that in another move at some point. The two-for-one trade did get the roster down to 15, which means no one has to be cut or traded before the season.
Of course, that doesn't mean they won’t. It just means they don’t have to right now.
The 6’9” Hernangomez theoretically fills a need for the Celtics as a stretch-4. He had a very difficult year in Minnesota, showing up to camp in less than ideal condition and then missing time due to COVID. He went from a 42% 3-point shooter in 14 post-trade games (all as a starter) with the Timberwolves to a 32.7% 3-point shooter in 52 games last season (only six as a starter).
His shooting seems to ebb and flow depending on his role. In 57 career games as a starter, Hernangomez is 101-146 from deep (39.3%). In 200 career games as a reserve, he’s 124-384 (32.3%).
Basically, the more he plays, the better he shoots.
| Minutes | 3-point % |
| 0-9 | 23.2% |
| 10-19 | 29.1% |
| 20-29 | 38.2% |
| 30-39 | 33.5% |
| 40+ | 5.29 |
So if the Celtics play by the numbers, finding a way to start him and get him 25 minutes per game might be the best bet at getting the most out of him.
Which brings up an interesting question about how Ime Udoka will approach this. The assumption so far has been that Josh Richardson would start alongside Marcus Smart in the backcourt, but the arrival of Hernangomez and his statistical history adds a new wrinkle.
Could the Celtics go the other direction and start someone next to Robert Williams in the frontcourt, going with Hernangomez and Williams on the front line and Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown on the perimeter?
The question there would be Hernangomez’ defense and whether he can keep up with the rest of the team on that end. Boston would be favoring offense over defense if they went with Hernangomez as a starter, but the spacing would be welcome for Tatum and Brown.
This, of course, depends on whether Hernangomez is actually healthy enough to start the season. He dislocated his left (non-shooting) shoulder over the summer and missed the Olympics. He should be resuming basketball activities soon, but it’s a serious injury nonetheless and it’s possible it will impact his ability to be ready for camp. At the very least, it’s possible he’d be a step or two behind conditioning-wise.
Hernangomez is on the second year of a three-year contract, earning $6.9 million this season. His $7.4 million next season is not guaranteed. The Celtics will have until June 30 to decide on whether to guarantee the final year.
This means that if there is no bounce-back, then they can simply let Hernangomez walk after this season. They traded Dunn and Edwards for him, neither of whom was getting any opportunity this season. So if they ultimately get nothing out of Hernangomez, then it’s no great loss.
If there is a bounce back, then Boston might have found themselves a useful player for two guys who were never going to play. In Hernangomez and Richardson, the Celtics have rolled the dice on players who have shown serious promise elsewhere but then suffered setbacks in a COVID-impacted season.
Brad Stevens is basically walking through yard sales and flea markets to find gems that he can restore. If he hits on these two finds, then Boston has set itself up pretty nicely for next season either with two role players who can contribute, or two players whose value increased to the point of being desired trade pieces.
If they fit and support Tatum and Brown well, then the Celtics can focus their other exceptions on filling other holes on the roster. If another team is willing to take them in a bigger deal for an outgoing star, then Stevens flipped cast-offs for a better player without having to give up too much of his core.
Or, they could flame out and all it cost Boston was half a traded player exception, Dunn, and Edwards. C’est la vie.
