NBA Rumors: Celtics Should Trade Kemba Walker For Rudy Gobert, Per ‘Hardwood Houdini’
Since the 2020 offseason, rumors have been continuously swirling around All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and his future with the Boston Celtics. Though he’s yet to become officially available, some believe that the Celtics should strongly consider using Walker as a trade chip to improve their frontcourt before the 2021 trade deadline. One of the dream trade targets for the Celtics is Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.
In a recent article, Mark Nilon of Fansided’s Hardwood Houdini included Gobert on the list of players that Walker is worth trading for. After recently inking a massive contract extension, it remains a big question mark whether Gobert and the Jazz would consider parting ways before the 2021 trade deadline. However, if Utah changed their mind about keeping him long-term, Nilon believes that Celtics president of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ainge shouldn’t think twice before engaging in a blockbuster deal with the Jazz centered Walker and Gobert.
“A 2x Defensive Player of the Year and a perennial All-NBA talent, Gobert is having yet another impressive season in Utah, averaging 12.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks a game on 60 percent shooting from the floor. Still in search for an answer at the pivot, the 7-2 Stifle Tower would easily fill Boston’s void down low as well as give the team an actual option to combat that of the other dominant bigs in the East that they proved to struggle against in the 2020 postseason such as Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo.”
Gobert would undeniably be an incredible acquisition for the Celtics. His arrival in Boston would tremendously boost their performance on both ends of the floor, giving them a reliable scoring option under the basket, monster rebounder, and quality rim protector. Having the two-time Defensive Player of the Year as their starting center would give the Celtics a better chance of beating powerhouse teams with dominant big men like Joel Embiid (Philadephia 76ers), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets), and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).
Trading Walker, along with young prospects and future draft assets, to the Jazz in exchange for Gobert would definitely be worth it for Boston. Adding him to the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart would significantly improve their chances of getting through the Eastern Conference and bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year.
However, with the Jazz currently having an expensive backcourt of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, they may not be interested in keeping Walker on their roster. For the potential blockbuster deal to be successful, the Celtics would need to find a third team that would help them facilitate the trade.
