The Boston Celtics might still be looking to make some big moves this offseason.
Over the past several weeks, the Celtics have been among the league’s most active teams. They’ve parted ways with stars like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in an effort to aid their financial situation and avoid the second apron.
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While the Celtics have mostly achieved their financial goals, they still have some work to do to build another contending roster for Jayson Tatum’s return in 2026-27. With a rough center situation needing to be addressed, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed a three-team deal that could solve some of the Celtics’ problems.
Celtics receive: Walker Kessler
Jazz receive: Terry Rozier, Jaime Jacquez Jr., Neemias Queta, 2026 protected FRP (Boston), 2026 SRP (Boston), 2029 protected FRP swap (Miami)
Heat receive: Anfernee Simons, John Tonje
Kessler could be the perfect fit for the Celtics. While he isn’t quite at the level of Porzingis, he is still an elite shot blocker and has room to grow offensively.
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With a season in a low-pressure winning environment, Kessler might be able to grow into the best version of himself. Last season, Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. His 4.6 offensive rebounds per game led the league, and his experimentation with the 3-point shot could thrive in Joe Mazzulla’s system.
Considering that Simons is reportedly already on the trade market, this could be a perfect swing for the Celtics to make. Not only would they be solving their center problem by adding Kessler, but Simons being dealt would open a $27.7 million trade exception.
That exception would be perfect for Boston as it could simply worry about its financial situation next season and use the exception to make another big splash next summer when the team is ready to contend again.
The trade would be a perfect deal for the Celtics and makes some sense for the other teams, too. Of course, sometimes a mock trade can simply be too perfect to come true.