On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers were reportedly all in agreement on a three-team trade framework that would have sent Malcolm Brogdon to LA in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Amir Coffey, and a few draft picks. However, the Clippers backed out of the trade due to concerns regarding the elbow Brogdon injured during Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, the Celtics had to pivot, instead trading away Marcus Smart to complete the deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards. Now, the Celtics are entrusting the point guard position to the duo of Brogdon and Derrick White. On the surface, that is a rock-solid duo to rely on at the point, but if only the reigning Sixth Man of the Year is healthy.

And healthy he might be after all. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens revealed that Malcolm Brogdon “will be on the court and good come next season”. However, Celtics fans shouldn't celebrate just yet, as surgery remains a possibility for the 2017 Rookie of the Year.

The Clippers' hesitation in taking on Brogdon should be a concern, despite Stevens' optimism. It's fair to wonder just how bad the condition of Brogdon's elbow is if a team that's notorious for its injury-proneness was concerned about not being able to take a closer look.

Malcolm Brogdon's elbow injury also rendered him a non-factor in the Celtics' seven-game series defeat to the Miami Heat this past postseason. Thus, Celtics fans should stay tuned on whether there's more than meets the eye when it comes to this injury situation.