Juancho Hernangomez was upset with the Timberwolves after they blocked him from playing for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics. Traded to the Grizzlies, he clearly wasn’t long for Memphis.
Maybe he has finally found a home for next season – in Boston.
The Celtics are trading Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards for Hernangomez.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Memphis has agreed to trade forward Juancho Hernangomez to Boston for guards Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards and a 2026 second-round pick swap, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2021
Deal can’t be formally completed until September 15, when Dunn and Edwards contracts are allowed to be aggregated in the trade. https://t.co/yz6EmpOu1r
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2021
Hernangomez gives Boston a stretch four, though he adds to a crowd of Celtics who can play the position: Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Grant Williams and Jabari Parker (who, on a barely guaranteed contract, looks more likely to make the regular-season roster with Boston shedding a player in this trade). Up and down in his five NBA seasons, Hernangomez might crack the rotation or might not.
The Grizzlies keep adding players, even as they’re already over the regular-season roster limit.
Dunn never lived up to the hype as the No. 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, reinvented himself a wing defensive specialist then suffered through an injury-plagued season with the Hawks. Atlanta traded him to the Celtics earlier this summer, necessitating a waiting period before this deal becomes official.
The No. 33 pick in the 2019 draft, Edwards impressed in college, summer league and preseason before his rookie regular season. But the undersized scoring guard has yet to carve out a role in the NBA.
Maybe one or both will get another opportunity in Memphis. But given the Grizzlies’ roster crunch, neither can be assumed.
Dunn ($5,005,350) and Edwards ($1,782,621) combine to earn slightly less than Hernangomez ($6,907,815). All three are in the final guaranteed season of their deals. So, this trade definitely beats waiving Hernangomez. Plus, Memphis gets a pick.
