A Week After the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline: Lessons for the Celtics
During the NBA trade deadline last week, the Boston Celtics made two small additions.
You don’t need to take drastic measures when your basketball team is the best in the league in terms of both record and effectiveness.
Out of the three trades they made, only two resulted in the return of players to Boston. The Celtics first acquired Philadelphia 76ers backcourt prospect Jaden Springer, then they acquired backup big man Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies.
While none of these moves were ground-breaking, they could all benefit this club.
Let’s explore these three team-related post-deadline insights.
Jaden Springer May Be Worth a Pick
Jaden Springer required the Philadelphia 76ers to use a first-round pick in the 2021 draft. The Celtics only paid a second-round selection to acquire him less than two years later.
It’s smart business, and it will continue to be smart business even if Springer doesn’t work out. Boston added a 21-year-old for practically nothing who has already shown elite defensive ability and the capacity to turn plays that change momentum.
Reporters were informed by Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, that “he’s an athlete that can play athletically in the playoffs right now.” “But he’s dedicated to improving himself, and he still has a lot of growing to do. He has a long runway in front of him. However, we think highly of him.”
The Celtics may have a defensive option to Payton Pritchard, their starting backup guard who prioritizes offense, if Springer makes a hit. Boston’s risk in determining whether Springer could develop is negligible if he never does.
The Finest Team in the NBA Improved
The Celtics were a formidable team when the trade deadline arrived, and they remained so when it ended.
Wings of a star Together, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown make up one of the best tandems in the Association. Possibly the best defensive backcourt in basketball is made up of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. At center, Kristaps PorziņIJis and Al Horford combine for a potent one-two punch.
Since Boston already had a strong foundation, the front office took the wise decision to look for possible finishing touches.
Springer could help the Celtics force more turnovers and generate more opportunities for scoring if he pushes his way onto the court. When Horford’s odometer reading is higher than PorziņĢis’ and your best bigs have a history of injuries, Xavier Tillman is the kind of insurance plan you want to have.
They Can Take The Eastern Conference All Their Own
Okay, so this was probably true even prior to the deadline, but it seems like the Shamrocks are the only team vying for supremacy in the Eastern Conference after the trade deadline.
The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers were considered the three inner-circle contenders in the East for the majority of this season. Those others just aren’t in Boston’s class, at least not right now. Maybe that turns out to be the case after all.
The Bucks have only gone 3-6 since giving Doc Rivers the coaching reins, and they still haven’t mastered the two-man game between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Meanwhile, the Sixers are inevitably in decline after meniscus injury forced MVP big man Joel Embiid to miss time.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are respectable teams, they won’t intimidate the Celtics the way a potent Bucks team or a fully healthy Sixers team would.
