The Boston Celtics have been one of the NBA's big surprises this season. Even without Jayson Tatum, the 25-15 Celtics have leaned on All NBA-caliber play from Jaylen Brown to surge to second in the Eastern Conference. It has reignited hopes of another championship charge, especially if Tatum is able to return from his Achilles injury in time for a playoff run.
While the Celtics remain unexpectedly on their path of title contention, the same cannot exactly be said for the Miami Heat. After blowing a 19-point lead in a 119-114 loss to the Celtics on Thursday night, the Heat are only one game over.500 at 21-20. Star big man Bam Adebayo is struggling, and nearly a year after trading Jimmy Butler, Miami has found no clear path to acquiring another star.
MORE: Is Anfernee Simons too valuable to the Celtics to be traded away?
An ambitious trade idea poised by Bleacher Report's Dan Favale though would allow the Heat to clear the decks in a bid to bring star power back to South Florida.
Favale has proposed a three-team trade between the Heat, the Celtics and the Washington Wizards that looks like this:
Celtics receive: Bam Adebayo, Justin Champagnie
Heat receive: Anfernee Simons, Hugo González, Boston's 2026 first-round pick, Boston's 2030 first-round pick (swap), Boston's 2031 first-round pick, 2031 second-round pick (less favorable from Boston or Cleveland; via Celtics)
Wizards receive: Sam Hauser, Brooklyn's 2026 second-round pick (top-55 protection; via Miami), Boston's 2032 second-round pick
Adebayo's defensive ability and floor-spacing capabilities are "Nirvana for how Boston plays," Favale writes. Though adding Adebayo's onerous contract and $39 million cap hit would be difficult stomach, adding the three-time All-Star to a core with Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and a healthy Tatum would probably vault Boston into the championship conversation this year.
For Miami, the appeal in trading Adebayo would be the chance for top executive Pat Riley to shed $46.9 million from the Heat's books while building around 21-year-old big Kel'el Ware.
The Heat saw Simons' skillset up close on Thursday, when he burned them for 39 points off the bench. He's also an expiring contract, so there isn't much risk in acquiring him. Gonzalez is a defensive specialist with an emerging shot, and Miami always seems to have a few of those guys on the roster.
Miami is not likely to trade Adebayo and embrace even a short-term rebuild. But this trade proposal would mark a serious statement of intent out of Boston.
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