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With Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets and Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics all but official, the Celtics are looking to facilitate a three-team deal to sign-and-trade free agents Irving, Walker, and Terry Rozier, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The talks are “exploratory” thus far:
Sources: Boston's showing interest in a 3-team sign-and-trade w/ Kyrie Irving (Nets), Kemba Walker (Celtics) and Terry Rozier (Hornets). Boston wants to create a full MLE and would likely need to surrender at least a first-round pick to Nets. So far, talks are exploratory.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
Rozier, a restricted free agent the Celtics plan to renounce once Walker signs a max deal with them, has been pursued by multiple teams, including the Hornets, which would explain Charlotte’s involvement in the proposed deal with Boston and Brooklyn. He also also seen interest from teams such as the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, and Phoenix Suns.
The Hornets are set to lose All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, while Boston will part with Kyrie Irving, who’s reportedly committed to join the Nets this summer.
In doing a three-team sign-and-trade, Boston would create a full mid-level exception, which would allow them to sign a quality player. Boston would likely have to part with a first-round pick, likely to Brooklyn, to help consummate the trade:
There is no incentive for Brooklyn unless they are going to be compensated with a first round pick. The Nets would be hard capped and Boston would have the full $9.3M ML. They would also gift wrap Terry Rozier to Charlotte, a team that does not have room to sign him. https://t.co/4mczXEVAga
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2019
This would be a complicated transaction and would feature a lot of moving parts, but the Celtics are trying their best to maintain flexibility and rebound quickly from the departure of Irving and the likely departure of Al Horford.
