Brandan Wright to Celtics: Latest Trade Details, Analysis and Reaction
Skilled big man Brandan Wright is finally starting to hit his stride as an NBA player, but his development will have to continue elsewhere after being dealt by the Dallas Mavericks.
The ESPN SportsCenter Twitter account broke the news with a report from Marc Stein that a trade between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks has been agreed in principle:
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports added more details about the draft picks involved:
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle suggests the Celtics could look to move Wright:
The 27-year-old center and power forward has been viewed as a potential star ever since his collegiate days at North Carolina. That resulted in him being the No. 8 overall selection in the 2007 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats before being quickly flipped to the Golden State Warriors.
In parts of three seasons with the Warriors, however, Wright averaged under six points and just three rebounds per game. Following a 16-game stint with the New Jersey Nets, Wright ended up in Dallas at the start of the 2011-12 campaign.
Wright was primarily a reserve for the Mavs with just 16 starts in parts of four seasons, but he was valuable to say the least. His 6'10" length was beneficial at both ends of the floor, and he has been especially useful this season.
Although Wright plays under 20 minutes per contest, he leads the league in field-goal percentage and is among the best in terms of player efficiency ratings, according to ESPN's John Hollinger advanced statistics.
Per Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle believes Wright excels at putting himself in advantageous positions on the court.
"He's a knowledgeable player that understands where openings are," Carlisle said. "He does a good job anticipating and getting to them. We've got guys that understand where to get him the ball, where he is and things like that. That helps, too."
As much as Wright contributed to Dallas' winning cause, his name started coming up in trade talks in December. Stein first reported that Wright could be a key component in a deal for Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo:
While Wright likely hasn't even scratched the surface in terms of how good he can truly be, there was some backlash regarding the notion that he could be a centerpiece in a trade for Rondo.
The flashy point guard is a four-time NBA All-Star, and Brian Geltzeiler of SiriusXM NBA Radio felt he had more value than just Wright and draft picks:
That sentiment was echoed by many, including Rich Keefe of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston:
There is no doubt that Wright has all the tools necessary to be great, but it remains to be seen if he can reach that level despite the fact that he has been in the league for seven years.
He has never averaged over 20 minutes or 10 points per game over the course of an entire season, which means nobody is certain how he'll handle an increased workload.
His efficiency is essentially guaranteed to go down, but that could be offset if he is able to improve his averages significantly.
If Wright never advances beyond the player he is now, though, this trade could prove to be a major steal for the Mavs.
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