Chris Forsberg talks with ESPN’s Front Office Insider about the recent moves around the NBA and the options for the Celtics at the trade deadline. Later, we catch up with JD Davison to get an update on his season with the Maine Celtics.
The numbers suggest Malcolm Brogdon had a successful 2022-23 season with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 14.9 points and 3.7 assists per game, shot a career-high 44.4 percent from 3-point range and earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors while embracing his role as a super-sub for a title contender.
But things didn't exactly end well between Brogdon and the Celtics, and it sounds like he doesn't view his time in Boston too fondly.
Discussing his October trade from the Celtics to the Portland Trail Blazers in a recent interview with The Athletic's Jack Quick, Brogdon noted that he was "excited to go from a place where I wasn’t as valued, and go to place where I am very valued."
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So, Brogdon really didn't feel valued with the Celtics?
"At times. At times,’’ Brogdon told Quick. “I was there for a year, won Sixth Man of the Year, and they shipped me out. So like … I didn’t feel very valued there. Here, I feel valued. Portland has embraced me. And I’ve enjoyed being coached by Chauncey (Billups)."
There's a backstory here: Despite Brogdon's successful season in Boston, the C's tried to trade him back in June as part of a three-team deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards to bring Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. The trade fell apart at the last minute, however -- reportedly due to concerns the Clippers raised about Brogdon's right arm injury -- leading Boston to strike a different three-team deal for Porzingis that sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Brogdon was "not happy" about the failed trade and the Clippers' concerns about his health going public, leading to a lack of communication between him and the Celtics throughout the summer. When Jrue Holiday became available in late September following the Milwaukee Bucks' trade for Damian Lillard, the Celtics pounced by sending Brogdon and Robert Williams to Portland in return for Holiday.
That trade was probably best for both sides; Brogdon is averaging 15.9 points and 5.5 assists per game with an increased role in Portland, while the well-rounded Holiday has played a key role in Boston having the NBA's best record through 48 games.
Brogdon's C's tenure probably didn't end how either he or the Celtics hoped, but he made an important contribution during that 2022-23 season by accepting a backup role for the purpose of winning. This Boston squad has adopted a similar mindset, with a sole focus on team success over individual accolades.
