Jason Smith: Celtics fans will 'absolutely love' Moe Wagner originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
In their only transaction before the NBA trade deadline Thursday, the Wizards dealt Moe Wagner and Troy Brown Jr. to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson. Wagner was ultimately re-routed to Boston in a separate deal.
Both Wagner and Brown showed promise in their short Washington careers but struggled to find consistent minutes this season. Now on their way to new cities, Wagner and Brown will have a fresh start on their respective teams to carve out roles on those respective rosters.
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Former Wizards center Jason Smith broke down both Wagner and Brown's trade destinations on Wizards Pregame Live and saw great opportunities for both players, especially Wagner in Boston.
"Moe going to the Celtics, that is a perfect opportunity for him," Smith said. "That crowd is going to absolutely love him. Him and Marcus Smart are two people that love to get under your skin and be agitators out there. Those two guys, that's gonna be great for the Celtics."
The Celtics acquired Wagner by trading Daniel Theis to the Bulls. Theis had been a key component of Boston's rotation for the last two seasons, but after the Evan Fournier trade, the Celtics wanted to get below the luxury tax threshold.
Wagner figures to slide in behind Robert Williams and Tristan Thompson as the third center on a team that hopes to climb back up the Eastern Conference standings over the final 30 games of the year.
Brown, meanwhile, will look to get more playing time in Chicago. After the Wizards drafted Deni Avdija and traded for Russell Westbrook, Brown didn't have as any opportunities to play as a ball-handler that he did last season.
"As far as Troy Brown Jr., he couldn't quite get his feet on the ground in D.C.," Smith said. "I think this is a great opportunity for him to go up to Chicago, to prove to that coaching staff that, 'Hey, I deserve playing time, I belong in this league.'"
The Wizards pick Troy Brown in the first round of the NBA Draft three years ago and played Wagner in a significant role over the last two years since getting him for nothing from the Lakers. It could have worked out better in both cases, but that's the reality in the NBA. Not every situation suits every player.
"Sometimes you just need a change of scenery," Smith said. "Anything that any NBA player knows is that if you're not getting the most out of your opportunity in one city, there's always going to be another one in another city."
