Celtics trade Jabari Bird, send cash to Atlanta Hawks to open up roster spot

It was an overall quiet day for the Celtics at the trade deadline compared to other East contenders, but Boston did manage to open up a roster spot at the bottom of its depth chart by dealing away swingman Jabari Bird to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that was first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Boston gave up cash and will receive a protected second-round pick as part of the deal, according to a league source. Bird will also be waived after being received from the Hawks.

Bird has been away from the team for the entire season after his arrest in September. He agreed to a two-year deal in July with the first year of the deal fully guaranteed for this season. He signed for the rookie minimum, but his salary would have cost Boston a couple million dollars extra in luxury tax penalties if he remained on the roster or had been waived since his salary was guaranteed. By getting him off the books now via trade, the Celtics managed to dodge a couple million dollars in penalties due to the tax. They also free up a roster spot that they can use to pursue a free agent on what is expected to be a crowded buyout market (more on that later).

The most important development of the day from Boston's perspective though is the fact that Anthony Davis has stayed put in New Orleans, leaving the door open for the Celtics to deal for the big man this summer. The Pelicans turned down repeated overtures from the Lakers earlier this week and no other team came up with an offer enticing enough for the Pelicans to turn down a chance to let Boston into the bidding this summer.

While the Celtics stood pat, their path to get to the NBA Finals got even tougher on Thursday as the Milwaukee Bucks added another sharpshooter in Nikola Mirotic to boost their already potent squad in a three-team deal with the Pelicans and Pistons. The acquisition cost Milwaukee four second-round picks but should help provide maximum spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo this postseason on the offensive end. Things could be a different story defensively though, since Mirotic is a weak defender and will be targeted regularly by Boston in any head-to-head matchup. The Raptors also acquired Marc Gasol in a multi-player deal from the Grizzlies in hopes of boosting their frontline.

Between Mirotic, Gasol and Tobias Harris though, it's evident the other East contenders are more all-in on this season than ever, setting the stage for a sprint to the finish line in the East standings over the next two months. The Celtics will look to use their mid-level exception to add another reinforcement while counting on their own continuity and depth to be enough to go toe-to-toe with the Raptors, Bucks and Sixers this Spring. Either way, the East postseason should be a free-for-all for the first time in a long time.