The Boston Celtics have traded Jaden Springer and a future second-round pick to the Houston Rockets. The teams have also swapped top-55 protected picks, which simply makes the trade legal.
Karalis' analysis
This is a deal that was always looming all season long, but his recent stints as an energy-shifting defensive bulldog raised some questions about whether moving him was the best idea. I've argued that his value to the team in that role meant something and that he was worth keeping around.
However, money talks, and trading him saves the Celtics $15 million in tax dollars, which is real money they would have had to pay. As much as I or anyone else advocated for Springer as an energy guy, that's not worth $19 million actual dollars (his $4 million in salary and the tax burden).
One can also argue that the portion of the schedule where the Celtics needed the boost most is almost over. The Celtics have coasted through the middle third of their schedule, and there are four more games until the break. They seem to be closer to themselves now, so that means less need for Springer to come in and change things.
It's unclear if he'll get a shot in Houston. They're rolling pretty nicely, but Springer could be insurance for the defensive-minded Ime Udoka. There might be ways Springer can be deployed that fit better there. As we've seen with other players who have left Boston, a chance and a better fit might help them out. Either way, Springer is just 22 years old and has time to figure things out.
Now the focus turns to what's next for Boston. There are two open roster spots, and at least one has to be filled within the next two weeks. They have the option of converting one of their two-way players (Drew Peterson or JD Davison) or signing someone from the free-agent market. There are buyout guys, like Torrey Craig recently cut by the Bulls, who might be a better fit as an emergency shooter off the bench. Lonnie Walker's name will invariably come up, but he's not exactly tearing things up in Turkey. He's averaging 13.2 points per game on 44% shooting, 33.6% from 3. He has three 20-point games, but also two scoreless games and five single-digit scoring games. So I'm not sure there's a big clamoring for his services in the NBA right now.
Someone will join the Celtics roster within the next two weeks. Boston might just sit tight and wait to see what happens by tomorrow's 3 p.m. trade deadline before making any decisions. They might also consider an additional move of Xavier Tillman, depending on how they want to remake the end of their bench.
For now, this is just a business of basketball move, sending out a $4 million salary paid to a little-used player so they can save big money on taxes. We can argue that they should have used him more, but that's in the past. With the team healthy and getting back to normal, the financial savings made sense. The Celtics can now sign minimum salaries to replace him, which will be much less costly tax-wise, with little impact on how the team looks on the floor.
