Boston Turned Mercer Into a Broader Player Package
The Celtics sent Ron Mercer, Ronald Jones and Dwayne Schintzius to Denver in August 1999. Boston received Danny Fortson, Eric Williams, Eric Washington and a future first-round selection. Mercer was a talented young scorer, making the decision to move him notable for a club still developing around Paul Pierce. Boston chose several usable pieces and draft flexibility rather than continuing with another scoring wing. Denver accepted a player who could become a central offensive option without waiting for the future pick to mature.
Eric Williams Became the Most Durable Boston Return
Williams returned to the Celtics and played meaningful forward minutes through several seasons, giving Boston a dependable perimeter defender and role player. Fortson supplied rebounding in a shorter Boston stint, while Washington had a much smaller effect. The incoming first-round right eventually became No. 11 Kedrick Brown in 2001. Brown received NBA opportunities but did not emerge as the kind of star one might expect from a lottery selection. The combination still yielded more than one useful form of roster value for the Celtics.
Denver Received Mercer's Scoring but Not Longevity
Mercer gave the Nuggets an experienced young scoring option, but his Denver tenure was short. He later continued his career with other teams, and those subsequent appearances cannot be treated as Denver production from this transaction. Jones and Schintzius did not develop into major Nuggets pieces. The club's decision emphasized the appeal of adding a recognizable guard with offensive ability, yet the realized team-specific value did not last long enough to match Boston's broader options and several seasons from Williams.
The Multiple Incoming Assets Favored Boston
Boston acquired useful short-term big-man depth, a longer-serving forward and a draft opportunity in exchange for its outgoing scoring guard. None of those components should be credited with an invented championship, and the Kedrick Brown selection was not a particularly successful use of a lottery pick. Denver still received real NBA scoring from Mercer during his brief stay. The inherited Celtics edge comes from the wider package and sustained Williams contribution rather than a claim that every Boston acquisition became a major success.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win. Boston receives B+ for reacquiring useful forward Eric Williams and collecting Fortson, Washington and the first-round choice used on Kedrick Brown. Denver gets C+ for Ron Mercer's brief scoring contribution, with Jones and Schintzius offering less enduring value. Boston obtained the broader and more lasting set of usable options, although the later lottery pick didn't become a star.