Muscala added for the stretch run
Celtics send Jackson, two second-round picks to Oklahoma City
While Wednesday’s win over the 76ers may have been the greatest example yet of the Celtics’ much improved depth this season, Brad Stevens’ roster was by no means complete entering Thursday’s trade deadline.
The C’s didn’t need to make a major deal, but a minor move was made in an effort to bolster their championship aspirations.
In their only move of deadline day, the Celtics acquired Thunder center Mike Muscala in exchange for reserve forward Justin Jackson and two second-round picks, according to multiple reports. The Athletic was first to report the deal.
Muscala, a 6-foot-10 shooting big man, is averaging 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game this season. Coming off the bench in Oklahoma City, he hit 43.8% of his shots, including 39.4% from 3-point range. Muscala supplies the Celtics with the backup center they have reportedly been seeking for weeks. He is in the first year of a two-year, $7 million contract with a club option for next season.
Muscala should help spread the floor with the Celtics’ second unit. He’s drilled 38% of his corner 3-pointers and 40% of his attempts from above the break this year, per Cleaning the Glass. With Muscala on the floor, the Thunder were 11.4 points better than their opponents per 100 possessions thanks to a significant boost on offense.
Muscala offers little defensively and ranks among the NBA’S worst offensive rebounders, though most of those duties will fall to starters Robert Williams and Al Horford when healthy.
Williams and Horford missed Wednesday night’s win over the Sixers, which re- emphasized the Celtics’ need for a backup big man. Williams missed the game with a left ankle sprain, his sixth absence from his December return from left knee surgery, while Horford sat out with right knee swelling. Both of the starting bigs’ workloads have been managed this season, and it made sense for the Celtics to add some insurance to help keep them fresh for the stretch run.
Muscala, 31, entered the league as a second-round pick with the Mavericks in 2013, but spent the first five seasons
of his career in Atlanta. His next stops included Philadelphia, the Lakers and finally Oklahoma City, where he’s played since the 201920 season. He joins a Boston frontcourt rotation that includes Williams, Horford, Grant Williams, Luke Kornet and Blake Griffin.
Jackson, a fringe journeyman, came off the bench in 23 games for the Celtics this season. He averaged 0.9 points and fewer than five
minutes per game.
Boston reportedly expressed interest in packaging injured forward Danilo Gallinari and backup guard Payton Pritchard — who has been outspoken in his desire for a bigger role — in trade talks held ahead of Thursday’s deadline. According to Masslive, the Celtics offered Gallinari and Pritchard and multiple second-round picks to the Spurs for coveted center Jakob Poeltl, but it was declined. The Spurs ultimately traded Poeltl to the Raptors for a top-six protected first round pick in 2024, two fu
ture second-round picks, and center Khem Birch.
The Celtics have one open roster spot after trading Noah Vonleh to the Spurs earlier this season and could be players in the buyout market, potentially for depth at wing. The C’s have a $3.29 million designated player exception that was granted due to Gallinari’s injury that they can use in the buyout market but it expires in March.
Thursday’s trade deadline saw plenty of movement, with 13 deals made over the final 24 hours, but most of them were made
in the Western Conference. Among Eastern Conference contenders, only Milwaukee and Philadelphia made significant moves. The Bucks added former Celtics forward Jae Crowder as part of a three-time trade, while the 76ers landed forward Jalen Mcdaniels in a three-time trade that sent Matisse Thybulle to Portland. Even after Phoenix completed a blockbuster trade by acquiring Kevin Durant, the Celtics remained the championship favorites after the deadline, according to several major sportsbooks.