Boston Celtics Trade Grades: Assessing the team’s Trade Deadline moves
Boston Celtics third trade of the day:
The Celtics traded away Daniel Theis to the Chicago Bulls at the last minute of the 2021 Trade Deadline last season. It’s only fitting that the Celtics move for Theis was announced exactly at 2:59 PM to cap off a hectic 2022 Trade Deadline. As the deal has it, the C’s get some much needed big man depth in return for some bench pieces that were either inconsistent or rarely used.
Boston bringing back Theis should be a big help off the bench. The C’s have preferred to run a two-big starting lineup with Rob Williams and Al Horford for most of the season, leaving them woefully thin of big man help off the bench. For the most part, Grant Williams has been the guy off the bench, but he’s too undersized to be a true center, and it was becoming a bit of an issue on defense. Having Theis onboard will ensure that isn’t an issue anymore.
Theis was having a bit of a down year with the Rockets prior to being traded, although that tends to happen when you are playing on one of the worst teams in the league. However, he offers a solid interior presence on both sides of the ball, and he can hit threes when called upon too. He’s not going to be starting like he had during his previous tenure with the team, but he should be able to provide head coach Ime Udoka with another solid big man in the rotation.
From the second White was acquired, it seemed like a safe bet to assume Dennis Schroder would be getting traded, and Stevens waited until the last possible minute to do so. Losing Schroder’s scoring off the bench is a bit of a bummer, but his inconsistencies will not be missed. Moving Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando ensured Boston stayed below the luxury tax line, which is a huge plus again.
Despite a solid start, it became clear that Schroder’s time in Boston had run it’s course, and it would have been concerning to see him with this team past the deadline. Theis probably isn’t the most exciting return, but considering how Schroder was probably leaving after the season anyway, any return for him would have been OK. The C’s got a solid contributor to fill an area of need, and that’s the most important thing. Grade: B+