Celtics fans who went to bed early on Wednesday night woke up to a big surprise on Thursday morning. Just before midnight, the team traded Marcus Smart, role players, and a second round pick in a deal that returned Kristaps Porzingis and two first-round picks.

The surprise isn’t just that Smart – the team’s longest-tenured player at the time – got traded. It’s that when most of those people went to bed, there was a completely different deal on the table.

• On Wednesday afternoon, the trade was reported as a three-team deal that had the Celtics trading Malcolm Brogdon – not Smart – as the centerpiece of their offer. What changed?

  As first reported by NBA insider Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Clippers, who were the original third team in the trade before being replaced by the Grizzlies, had “concerns” about Brogdon’s “injury status” that led to them backing out of the trade. On Thursday morning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared a bit more about Brogdon’s situation.

  “Brogdon has a health issue, a health issue that as I understand, is so significant, that not only can the Celtics not do this trade, there’s probably no Malcolm Brogdon trade that they can do in the short term,” Windhorst shared on Get Up.

• 

  MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 21: Malcolm Brogdon #13 of the Boston Celtics drives against Gabe Vincent #2 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals at Kaseya Center on May 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

• While neither report says specifically what Brogdon’s injury is, he did miss time in the playoffs due to what was described as “a partial tear in the tendon coming out of his right elbow that leads into his forearm.” When Brogdon last spoke to reporters after the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, he said he was still considering whether or not to get surgery.

  This all raises a number of new questions and could put the Celtics in a tricky situation. If Brogdon isn’t healthy enough to get traded, is he healthy enough to play? If teams aren’t willing to trade for him, it could mean the injury potentially holds long-term implications for his game.

  Even if Brogdon can play, will he still want to play in Boston? It’s not uncommon for NBA players to request out of a situation once they know a team has tried to trade them away.

• READ MORE:

  — Ex-Celtic joins coaching staff
  — An injury update on Grant Williams
  — Jaylen Brown avoids supermax talk

• Those are important questions because, suddenly, the Celtics’ excessive backcourt depth has evaporated. If Brogdon isn’t going to be a part of the picture or one reason or another, that leaves them with just Derrick White returning from last year’s rotation. Payton Pritchard is the only other guard on the roster behind White with extensive NBA minutes, with 2022 second-round pick JD Davison the next man up as things stand right now.

  Of course, this is still the very beginning of the offseason. The Celtics have plenty of time to make the additions they need in response to this early trade (MassLive’s Brian Robb has reported the Celtics are “far from done” this offseason). But while adding Porzingis certainly checked some boxes, the deal left the Celtics with more on their plate moving forward.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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