There's some reason for concern surrounding Malcolm Brogdon's standing with the Boston Celtics. But there's also good reason to believe he'll be a fully-invested part of the team this season.
The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn recently reported that Brogdon was "angry" with the Celtics after the team's failed attempt to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade involving Kristaps Porzingis. According to The Globe's Adam Himmelsbach, there hasn't been much communication between Brogdon's camp and the Celtics since then, with Himmelsbach noting that "something about the situation just feels slightly off."
Yet Himmelsbach added that Boston isn't actively shopping its veteran guard.
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"The indications I’ve gotten are that the Celtics are not considering trading Brogdon any more than they are considering trading any other player," Himmelsbach wrote Thursday.
Brogdon is recovering from a right arm injury that limited his effectiveness in the Celtics' Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat. Prior to that injury, however, Brogdon played a key role in the team's success: He averaged 14.9 points per game off the bench and hit a career-high 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers to earn the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award.
The Celtics will need similar production from Brogdon this season following Marcus Smart's departure. Derrick White is expected to assuming Smart's starting point guard role, while Jayson Tatum also could serve as a primary ball-handler at times. But Brogdon should be the go-to floor general on the second unit with Payton Pritchard as the only other point guard on the roster.
Brogdon does have a tradeable contract -- a two-year, $45 million deal that expires in 2025 -- that Boston could consider including in a trade involving a player like Indiana's Buddy Hield, who reportedly is on the market. But the reality is that Brogdon's skill set of strong ball-handling, 3-point shooting and defense fits well in the Celtics' system, and their best option is to keep him on the roster to make another run at Banner 18.