HOLY SHIT BRAD STEVENS TRADED KEMBA WALKER

HOLY. SHIT. BRAD DID IT!!

I'll be honest, I am in a bit of shock right now. We're doing this live with instant reactions. I'm out in Arizona at the moment and at like 6 something in the morning my phone started going nuts. Usually not a great sign. So with my left arm completely numb because I was sleeping on it funny I opened my phone and thought I was dreaming, not really sure what the fuck I was reading because I didn't have my contacts in yet. Holy shit my heart is racing as I type this. Gimme a minute and let me re-read those details again.

OK, so the second round picks I don't really care about, I'll call that a wash. We all knew that in order to get off of Kemba's deal that Brad was going to have to attach a first round pick so that's not really shocking to me either. We also know that Sam Presti has a gigantic hard on for first round picks and the idea of moving him from Horford isn't really new. The fact that it actually happened is fucking nuts though. I'll admit, when Horford got that deal from the Sixers myself and everyone else called it a horrific deal. Here are the details

The thing is only $14.5M is guaranteed in that 2022 season. That feels important.

It's not exactly "great", but it's certainly not the albatross we initially thought, and it's definitely not the same as Kemba's deal. It's clear that the team and Brad felt they had to get out of that Kemba deal these final two years and to do that you're going to have to bring big money back. Doesn't hurt that Horford is actually good and not washed, while giving them exactly what they need. Remember this guy?

not only that, but Brad also gave us Moses Brown? That name might confuse you, but it's clear he saw something when the Celts played OKC this season. Moses Brown tore this team apart

This is important for 2 reasons. First, it gives them more Rob insurance which they clearly need. Love Rob, but he can't stay healthy. Second, it probably means they are also about to trade Tristan Thompson. Or at least look at offers. That's something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Now I'm not going to do what a lot of people will today and that's shit on Kemba. I would have been completely fine if they ended up not trading him. Healthy, he fits. But like I said a few weeks ago, now that his Celtics tenure is over, it was a failure. Good intentions, a move that made sense at the time, it just didn't work out mostly due to injuries. Not his fault, not anyone's fault really, it just worked out that way. It sucks. I hope he kills it in OKC just like Paul did. 

My brain is now moving to what this means for the rest of the roster. Marcus Smart now becomes VERY important considering he's your starting point guard at the moment. Remember, he's entering the last year of his deal if he doesn't get extended this summer. Maybe we see Romeo play some point? Pritchard is obviously in the mix but I'm not sure he's ready to start. This also makes Evan Fournier's return very important as well. This team needs scoring around the Jays now that a 19ppg player is now off the roster. There is still a ton of work to do, but this was the hardest domino by far. 

So all in all, did Brad win his first major trade? It's hard to say but I think I'm leaning towards yes? I guess the reports of both sides wanting a fresh start were true, because look where we are a week later. It's all pretty nuts and just a reminder that NO CONTRACT is untradeable. All it takes is one team and OKC appears to be that team for everyone.

Brad really did it man, holy shit.