Boston Celtics to hit buyout market after quiet NBA trade deadline
BOSTON -- After a fairly quiet NBA trade deadline by the Boston Celtics, the defending champs will now hit the buyout market to fill at least one open roster spot. But Brad Stevens will be limited with what he can do.
The Celtics didn't do much ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, outside of officially announcing Wednesday's deal that sent Jaden Springer to Houston. That move shed Springer's $4 million salary off the books and saved the franchise over $15 million in payroll and its luxury tax bill.
With their title-winning core intact and the Celtics sitting as the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, Stevens wasn't expected to go out and make a big splash at the deadline. But the Boston roster now sits at 13 players, and the Celtics will have two weeks to add at least one player to the mix.
What can Celtics do on the buyout market?
Stevens will now go shopping on the buyout market. But because the Celtics are a second-apron team, Stevens cannot sign any player who made more than the $12.8 mid-level exception before being waived. The team will have limited options to pick from, with wing depth the biggest need for the Celtics.
Veterans Seth Curry, P.J. Tucker, Reggie Jackson, and Torrey Craig could be possible buyout options for Boston. And Stevens could potentially reunite with big man Daniel Theis for a third time, after he was bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder after being acquired in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bucks, Cavaliers made moves at deadline
While the Celtics essentially stood pat, two of their Eastern Conference foes swung deals.
The first-place Cleveland Cavaliers acquired DeAndre Hunter from the Hawks, sending Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and two pick swaps to Atlanta. Hunter gives the Cavs a big wing who can shoot and potentially give them some good defense. He is averaging a career-high 19 points per game this season off 39.3 percent shooting from downtown, and could very well find himself guarding Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown in a playoff series with Boston.
Tatum has had his way with Hunter though, averaging 27.8 points and 5.5 assists in 12 games against him. The Celtics went 8-4 in those contests.
The Milwaukee Bucks also made a move on Thursday, acquiring Kevin Porter Jr. from the Los Angeles Clippers. Porter averaged a career-low 9.2 points per game for L.A. off 42 percent shooting overall and just 24.5 percent from downtown. He had his best game of the season a few weeks ago against Boston, dropping 26 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a game the Celtics ultimately won in overtime. (Springer played some excellent defense on Porter Jr. to swing that game in Boston's favor.)
The Bucks also picked up Kyle Kuzma on Wednesday in a trade that sent Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards. Kuzma is shooting just 42 percent for the season and 28.1 percent from three.
We'll see if any of those moves really matter come playoff time. But the Cavaliers at least got better with their move ahead of Thursday's deadline, which could make a playoff series against the Celtics a bit more interesting.
