Celtics make last-minute trade, sending Abdel Nader to Thunder


The Celtics were on the cusp of waiving Abdel Nader prior to August 1st, but jumped at the chance to trade him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Rodney Purvis.

I wrote yesterday about Boston being just above the luxury tax threshold and the sensible course of trying to duck under it. This move by Danny Ainge is definitely a cost-cutting measure, in addition to having the benefit of giving Nader a chance to remain in the NBA. It is absolutely a no-brainer.



Purvis's contract is non-guaranteed, and the Celtics are expected to waive him once the trade is finalized. Here is the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach on the transaction:

This is a cost-saving move for Boston, which had intended to waive Nader before this deal emerged. Nader had a partial $450,000 guarantee for next season. His full $1.4 million salary would have been guaranteed if he was still on the roster on Aug. 1. The Celtics are currently above the tax line, so if they had waived Nader they would also have had to pay tax on his $450,000 guarantee if they remained a tax team at season’s end.

Purvis’s deal, meanwhile, is fully non-guaranteed, and Boston is expected to waive him after the deal is completed. According to a league sources, the team told Nader on Saturday that it intended to waive him, but then this trade materialized.

This deal seems to be a win for everybody. The Celtics will move down closer to the luxury tax line - Addel gets another shot with an NBA team - and OKC gets a player that served under Brad Stevens, a commodity that has more than abstract value. This is great news.


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Photo via Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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