Springer acquired from 76ers for depth
Busy two days for Stevens as Boston loads up
Brad Stevens wanted a wing. As the trade deadline struck 3 p.m. on Thursday, he got one.
The Celtics on Thursday acquired young wing Jaden Springer from the 76ers in exchange for a second-round pick, according to multiple reports. The 21-year- old Springer, a first-round pick in 2021, has played all three of his seasons in Philadelphia and is an intriguing development piece for the Celtics moving forward.
As the deadline approached, Stevens expressed that the Celtics were not in need or position to add a game-changing name to their roster, which has the best record in the NBA, a star- studded top six and established rotation. But he made some shrewd depth moves with the addition of big man Xavier Tillman on Wednesday and the acquisition of Springer on Thursday.
Stevens said in January he would be targeting a wing. At 6-foot- 4, 204 pounds, Springer fits the mold but likely won’t be part of the Celtics’ rotation this season as he is something of a project piece. He has a limited game offensively as just a career 23.8 percent 3-point shooter. But like Tillman, there’s a lot to like defensively. Springer is a super athletic wing who has already developed a highlight reel of impressive blocks early in his career, which included one on new teammate Jayson Tatum earlier this season.
Springer appeared in 32 games for the Sixers this season in a mostly limited role off the bench but had started to see his playing time increase recently. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 22.1 minutes per game over his last five before the trade.
The Celtics also reportedly made a trade to send Dalano Banton to the Blazers for a heavily-protected second-round pick.
The move maintains an open roster spot for the Celtics in case they want to make an addition on the buyout market or potentially convert Nemmias Queta’s two-way contract into a standard contract.
Banton signed a two-year deal with the Celtics prior to this season but barely played as he appeared in 24 games, including one spot start.
Officially official
Jaylen Brown will officially participate in this year’s dunk contest.
After a few days of speculation, the NBA’S 2024 dunk contest field was announced on Thursday. It features Brown, Jacob Toppin, Jaime Jacquez Jr. and reigning contest champion Mac Mcclung. The marquee All-star weekend event will
take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Indianapolis.
Brown, who’s making his third career All- Star appearance this season, is the headliner for an event that has lost its buzz over the years. He’ll be the first All- Star to participate in the dunk contest since Victor Oladipo in 2018. Other players, such as Damian Lillard (2014), Giannis Antetekounmpo (2015) and Donovan Mitchell (2018), have done the dunk contest before their ascent as stars, but a player like Brown doing it as an established AllStar has become a rarity.
Even this year’s dunk contest field isn’t necessarily one to get excited about outside of Brown. Toppin is on a two-way contract with the Knicks, Jacquez Jr. is a rookie with the Heat, and Mcclung — who certainly impressed last year to win the dunk contest — isn’t even in the NBA. He’s in the G-league.
“I think it would be great
for him to participate in it, right?” said Tatum, who will join Brown in Indy for All-star weekend. “Kind of bring back that star power to the dunk contest. You want to see all the big-name guys being in it, that’s how I grew up watching it. I would love for him to be in it. I would love for him to win. I think it would be exciting to see.”
Brown is the first Celtics player to participate in the dunk contest since Gerald Green, who won it in 2007. He’ll be the fifth player in Celtics history to do it, joining Dee Brown (won in 1991), Greg Minor (1996), Ricky Davis (2004) and Green (2007).
Brown has turned down an invitation to the dunk contest twice, first when he was a rookie in 2017 and then again in 2021. But 2024 is his time.
Underwhelming deadline
There were no big blockbuster trades made on Thursday but some of the Celtics’ top competitors in the East were also busy. The Knicks, who sit one game back of second place, made the biggest splash of the day by acquiring double-digit scorers Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks from the Pistons, which will certainly make them more dangerous.
The Bucks made a significant move with another contender as they acquired Patrick Beverley from the 76ers, which should give them a needed defensive upgrade. Meanwhile, the 76ers — who are reeling in the wake of Joel Embiid’s injury — swapped defense for offense, as they added Buddy Hield from the Pacers to give them some more shooting and space the floor for their star duo of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Former C’s on move
Thursday was a busy day
for former Celtics, as six of them changed teams before the deadline.
Stevens’ decision to move on from Grant Williams continued to look good. The Mavericks, who signed him to a four-year, $ 53 million contract last July in their sign- andtrade with the Celtics, traded him to the Hornets in a deal for P. J. Washington after Williams struggled for most of his first season in Dallas. In a bit of irony, Williams was traded before the Celtics used the $6.2 traded player exception they got from dealing him. The C’s used that TPE on Springer.
Gordon Hayward was traded to Oklahoma City in an intriguing move as the young Thunder, who are No. 1 in the West, look for some veteran help. Dennis Schroder ( Nets), Kelly Olynyk (Raptors), Marcus Morris (Spurs) and Evan Fournier (Pistons) were also traded.