Making sense of the trade deadline from a Cs perspective - UPDATED


The trade deadline is over, and it's been quite the whirlwind, only the most astute could hope to keep track of the action without a reference, so we thought we'd put one together for you with an eye to how each might affect the Boston Celtics.

Some of the moves have been telegraphed for ages, but there's quite a few surprises already, so without further ado, let's dive in.



Atlanta Hawks get: Jabari Bird

Boston Celtics get: a roster slot

How it affects Boston: FIREWORKS! Just kidding - but the roster spot opened by the Bird move could be quite useful to fill on the buyout market as Eastern Conference foes have upped the ante in moves we'll describe below. Low-key but also quite obviously, the Cs may have won the day without any major moves longer term, as it puts them in pole position for an Anthony Davis deal this summer. The Hawks, however, probably have a handshake deal in place for a return favor in the off chance the NBA's domestic violence protocol does not reward Atlanta with some cap relief should Jabari be found not guilty and pass the league's review - an unlikely outcome at best.


Orlando Magic get: Markelle Fultz
Philadelphia 76ers get: Jonathon Simmons, 2020 OKC first-round pick (FRP), unknown second-round pick (SRP)

How it affects Boston: Not too much, really, in the short term beyond how Philly's earlier moves bolstered their starters, as Simmons can't shoot and has fallen mightily from his success with the San Antonio Spurs. He might be better than much of their previous depth, but he's a clear step down from Fultz, which should tell you all you need to know. The 2020 OKC pick could end up being OK if Russ Westbrook continues his slow decline, though.

Los Angeles Lakers get: Mike Muscala
Los Angeles Clippers get: Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley 

How it affects Boston: Very little. It won't really affect the Clips or the draft pick Boston controls of theirs, and it doesn't seem likely Muscala would matter much in any AD trade scenario. It does mean a more likely Carmelo Anthony-on-the-Lakers scenario coming to fruition, though, with rumbles that team is interested, as Beasley is reportedly going to be waived and enter the buyout market.

Memphis Grizzlies get: Tyler Dorsey
Atlanta Hawks get: Shelvin Mack

How it affects Boston: It doesn't.


Portland Trailblazers get: Skal Labissiere
Sacramento Kings get: Caleb Swanigan

How it affects Boston: These two bigs are long-term projects, so it really doesn't very much at all.

Toronto Raptors get: Marc Gasol
Memphis Grizzlies get: Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 TOR SRP

How it affects Boston: It makes the Raptors a little harder to beat, but unless Marc has some defensive skills he's been saving for joining a new squad, this move will be less impactful than the name cache it brings to the table, while also setting up the Raps for a teardown should Kawhi Leonard leave this summer (and he probably will).

Houston Rockets get: cap relief
Indiana Pacers get: Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, a SRP

How it affects Boston: It does not!

Memphis Grizzlies get: Avery Bradley
Los Angeles Clippers get: JaMychal Green, Garrett Temple

How it affects Boston: This actually offsets some of the earlier moves the Clips made that might affect Boston's likelihood of receiving their pick this season, as former Celtic Bradley is having one of the worst seasons of his career due to nagging injuries. It also helps LA clear up cap this summer, though, so there's a small chance it could hinder Boston's pursuit of Anthony Davis a tiny bit.


Milwaukee Bucks get: Nikola Mirotic
New Orleans Pelicans get: Stanley Johnson, Jason Smith, four SRPs

How it affects Boston: Technically part of the Detroit deal from earlier in the day, the Bucks turned Thon Maker into Mirotic for almost nothing, nearly doubling their odds of winning a title in the process. While Mirotic's shooting is a near-perfect fit for what the Bucks lacked, Nikola's defense is notoriously bad against Boston bigs - but it's what his spacing will allow Giannis Antetokounmpo to do that ought to have Cs fans nervous. No panic yet, but Milwaukee just became a much tougher out.

Philadelphia 76ers get: James Ennis
Houston Rockets get: 2021 SRP swap rights

How it affects Boston: Not much, as Ennis wasn't much help for the Rockets, a probably-superior team who also needed his ostensible three-and-D skills. The former will definitely improve the 76ers bench, but his defense has gotten so bad, it'll nearly cancel itself out.


New Orleans Pelicans get: Markieff Morris, 2023 SRP
Washington Wizards get: Wesley Johnson, cap relief

How it affects Boston: Mostly, it doesn't - at least, not yet. Both of these players aren't going to make a major impact to the on-court fortunes of either team, particularly with Morris out indefinitely with a neck injury. But! A certain team I can think of has a brother due for a new contract who might just find himself in a trade package for another player on the Pelicans this summer should he re-sign in Boston. Not exactly smoke there, but an interesting nugget nonetheless, and there's always the possibility he can end up a buyout candidate for Boston as well. Probably more importantly, this was one of a few signals that John Wall's recent Achilles woes have forced the Wiz to pull the trigger on a likely-overdue rebuild that could see Bradley Beal on the move (in addition to teammates we'll talk about below) that could have bigger implications on Boston's summer plans.

Sacramento Kings get: Harrison Barnes
Dallas Mavericks get: Justin Jackson, Zach Randolph

How it affects Boston: Chiefly, it lowers the value of Boston's Sacramento/Philadelphia 76ers pick they stole from the latter team by trading back for Jayson Tatum, as this move ought to translate to a handful of more wins with the added scoring versatility Barnes will bring to the upstart Kings, and perhaps Zach Randolph could be another potential buyout guy to watch. Aside from that, not much.

Chicago Bulls get: Otto Porter
Washington Wizards get: Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker

How it affects Boston: Aside from the chuckle-worthy alliteration, it was the clearest sign of a Wizards rebuild being in full swing alluded to above; should Beal end up being dealt to, say, the Los Angeles Lakers, it could signal they've thrown in the towel on the Anthony Davis trade. It could also signal they're beefing up for a summer power play, though.

Sacramento Kings get: Alec Burks
Cleveland Cavaliers get: Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, HOU 2019 FRP
Houston Rockets get: Iman Shumpert, Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas

How it affects Boston: A slight improvement for the Kings' roster, meaning a likely slight ding on that SAC/PHI pick, as noted earlier in a separate Sacramento deal for Barnes, as well as a slight upgrade for the Rockets, who bolster their odds ever so slightly at a chance to be the team the Cs would face in the finals, should both teams end up in such a scenario (they probably won't).

Miami Heat get: Ryan Anderson, cap relief
Phoenix Suns get: Wayne Ellington, Tyler Johnson

How it affects Boston: Mainly, through the possibility of picking up Ellington's shooting as a buyout candidate. With rumbles he's interested in joining the Oklahoma City Thunder upon such an eventuality already in circulation, it's a longshot, but his lethal range from beyond the arc would be a most welcome addition to the second unit should a roster slot open as a result of the Jabari Bird affair.

Detroit Pistons get: Thon Maker
Milwaukee Bucks get: Stanley Johnson

How it affects Boston: The Bucks will need better perimeter defense to beat Boston in the postseason, and they just got some. That of course is not nearly enough, particularly with Marcus Smart's recent steps forward as a sharpshooter, but it helps. It also gives the Pistons an option to go small in ways they haven't had in a long time, though that shouldn't matter much this season (note: this would be aggregated into a larger trade later, noted above - the Johnson era of the Bucks was a brief one).

Philadelphia 76ers get: Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott
Los Angeles Clippers get:  Landry Shamet, Mike Muscala, Wilson Chandler, 2021 MIA FRP, 2020 PHI FRP, 2021, 2023 SRPs

How it affects Boston: In the short term, it makes the Celts' path to the NBA Finals tougher, but far from impossible given the utter lack of bench this leaves the team. Don't be surprised if it is just one of several moves the 76ers make today, though, as they still have a few options to fill out their bare second unit. Longer-term, most of their best players (save Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons) will now be free agents by summer, so this had better work for them, or Boston's longer-term path to the finals just got a lot wider. It also means Boston is less likely to see their obligation from the Clips met this year, as these moves suggest a micro-tank is on that should push the pick into its protected range. That could actually help Boston longer-term, though it also diminishes the value of a potential asset to use in any AD deal.

Los Angeles Lakers get: Reggie Bullock
Detroit Pistons get: Svi Mykhailiuk

How it affects Boston: Directly? Not much. This could be an attempt by LA to get assets they think the Pels might prefer to deal for The Brow, but in the grand scheme of things, this hardly moves the needle. Mykhailiuk is probably a slightly worse player, but on a timeline more amenable to the Pistons, who will need younger talent to develop and grow after churning through too many assets in the Stan Van Gundy era.

Portland Trailblazers get: Rodney Hood
Cleveland Cavaliers get: Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, POR 2021 and 2023 SRPs

How it affects Boston: It doesn't, really.

Chicago Bulls get: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, cash
Oklahoma City Thunder get: cap relief

How it affects Boston: Not...much.

New York Knicks get: Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wes Matthews
Dallas Mavericks get: Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway, Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke, DAL 2021 and 2023 FRPs

How it affects Boston: At present - unknown. It opens up a much more plausible scenario of Kyrie Irving departing in free agency, and of a team that could actually challenge in the East through a number of paths with two free max slots in cap space this summer and a 14% shot at the top pick and an AD trade. But there's plenty of room for the Knicks to Knick things up, and they probably will.

That's all we have for trades this season, but expect a lot of this movement to set in motion buyout candidates Boston may have interest in, including Wayne Ellington and Enes Kanter - now that jabari Bird has been moved to the Hawks, opening a roster spot. Check back soon and often for all the details as they relate to the Celts.

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