NBA Rumors: Celtics Could Acquire Steven Adams & Lou Williams In Proposed 3-Team Deal Involving Clippers & OKC

Since the 2020 NBA offseason started, rumors have been continuously swirling around veteran center Steven Adams and his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Chris Paul heading to the Phoenix Suns and Dennis Schroder joining the Los Angeles Lakers, most people are expecting the Thunder to trade Adams next. One of the teams that is expected to express strong interest in acquiring Adams from Oklahoma City is the Boston Celtics.

In a recent article, Andrew Hughes of Fansided’s Hardwood Houdini suggested a three-way blockbuster deal involving the Celtics, Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers that would send Adams to Boston. In the proposed trade scenario, the Celtics would get Adams and Lou Williams; the Thunder would receive Patrick Beverley, Ivica Zubac, JaMychal Green, Romeo Langford, Landry Shamet, Carsen Edwards, Vincent Poirier, and three 2020 first-round picks; and the Clippers would acquire Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, and Luguentz Dort.

Though it would cost them several young players and first-round selections, the potential deal would make a lot of sense for the Celtics as it would allow them to add two reliable contributors who could boost their chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship title next year. Adams would immediately address Boston’s need for a starting-caliber center, giving them a reliable scoring option under the basket, an incredible rebounder, and a quality rim protector.

Last season, he averaged 10.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. Adding Adams to the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Kemba Walker would enable Boston to build one of the most formidable starting lineups in the league next season.

The arrival of Williams would tremendously boost the Celtics’ second unit. He’s not only a great playmaker, but he would also give the Celtics a prolific scorer and legitimate threat from beyond the arc. Williams would likely spend most of his time coming off the bench, but he could also step up and take a bigger role when one of Boston’s starters need to rest or in the event a player suffers an injury.

If the proposed three-way deal becomes a reality, Hughes believes that it would not only be beneficial for the Celtics, but also for the Thunder and the Clippers.

“The current core isn’t cutting it out in Tinseltown, so the easiest thing for the Clippers to do would be to scrub the roster of any non-Kawhi Leonard or Paul George veteran. Adding a third switchable wing to the roster in Gordon Hayward would make LAC either an improved contender or an underachieving squad with three expiring swingmen on max deals.”

Meanwhile, the Thunder may be losing another veteran in the process, but they could end up the biggest winner in the suggested trade. In exchange for Adams, the Thunder would be receiving valuable assets which could help them speed up the rebuilding process.