Celtics Send Jaden Springer to Rockets in Trade for Draft Compensation
The Boston Celtics have officially made their move at the trade deadline. Despite speculation that they might sit it out this season, they have decided to make a trade.
According to Shams Charnia of ESPN, the Celtics are trading Jaden Springer and a 2030 second-round pick to the Houston Rockets. Each team also gets heavily-protected second-round picks.
This move will help the Celtics save some money in the luxury tax. That’s why this move was made. Had they not made this move, their tax bill would have been even higher.
Boston still has one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, so they didn’t feel the need to make a move to improve that part of their roster.
The bench might need an upgrade, but being in the second apron makes it very tough for them to do it. This is another reason why sending out Springer makes sense for them.
Springer was not part of the rotation in Boston, so using him as a salary dump is smart. It’s surprising that they had to send out a second-round pick in order to make this happen, though.
Houston adds another young player to their stable of young players. They now have an opportunity to add another defensive-minded wing.
The Celtics still see themselves as the best team in the NBA when the entire team is healthy. Keeping themselves healthy is going to be the key for them down the stretch.
Boston is one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference who doesn’t have an opportunity to make a big move because of their cap situation.
Even if they were able to make a big move, they don’t think that they need to. The Celtics think they have enough to repeat as NBA champions.
If they do repeat, they would be the first team to repeat in a decade since the Golden State Warriors did it.
Springer is averaging 1.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game so far this season. He’s also shooting 35 percent from the field.
