NBA Trade Rumors: Wild 3-Team Trade Proposal Lands Walker Kessler With Celtics

The Boston Celtics have spent this offseason shedding payroll in order to get under the punitive second apron. They've done so by moving a couple of key members of their 2024 championship team in center Kristaps Porzingis and point guard Jrue Holiday.

But while the C's still have Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to take over the lead guard duties, they have a massive hole in the middle of the lineup at center.

With that, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has suggested a wild three-team trade that would send Utah's elite shot-blocking center Walker Kessler to Boston. It's certainly not a stretch to see Boston & the Ainges in Utah getting together for another deal, as Pincus notes.

It would hypothetically go down like this:

Boston Celtics Receive:

Walker Kessler (from Utah Jazz)
$27.7 million trade exception (Anfernee Simons)

Utah Jazz Receive:

Terry Rozier (from Miami Heat)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (from Heat)
Neemias Queta (from Celtics)
2026 protected first-rounder (from Celtics)
2026 second-rounder (from Celtics)
2029 protected first-round swap (from Heat)
$5.5 million (from Celtics)
$4.9 million trade exception (Walker Kessler)

Miami Heat Receive:

Anfernee Simons (from Celtics)
Draft Rights to No. 53 John Tonje (from Jazz)
$3.9 million trade exception (Jaime Jaquez)

The Celtics, in addition to adding a legit starting center to replace Porzingis, also would get to unload a ton more salary, shipping out the $27 million that Simons is owed in the final year of his contract.

The Jazz would get to roll the dice on a promising young player in Jaquez Jr., a young center in Queta, and their usual trade return, a slew of draft capital.

For the Miami Heat, the third team in this deal, they would get another much-needed scorer in Simons, at the cost of Jaquez. Add in the newly-acquired Norm Powell, and the Heat would have greatly improved their post-Jimmy Butler offense, at least for the coming season, as both Simons & Powell are on expiring contracts.

It's an intriguing scenario. Who says no?