Boston Celtics Trade Grades: Assessing the team’s Trade Deadline moves

The Boston Celtics, after dominating the rumor mill for the past few weeks, came out guns blazing at the NBA Trade Deadline today. Brad Stevens pulled off three deals in his first deadline day as President of Basketball Operations, and it looks like the team is in a better spot today than they were yesterday.

There was concern that the C’s would be a bit quieter than initially anticipated thanks to a solid stretch of basketball that has seen the team’s record go from 18-21 to 31-25. But that certainly wasn’t the case. Stevens cleared out the Celtics bench unit, and brought in a pair of players who will look to join the rotation instantly.

As a result of getting rid of most of their bench, the Celtics now have five open roster spots to fill. One of those is probably going to go to Sam Hauser, who has been torching the G-League for most of the season, in hopes that he can provide a nice shooting boost off the bench. Boston wanted some flexibility with their roster for the rest of the season, and it’s clear they got it.

On a day that was dominated by the blockbuster James Harden/Ben Simmons deal, the Celtics managed to make some noise with a couple of moves themselves. But how good were the deals the C’s made? Let’s take a closer look at all three of the Boston Celtics moves at the Trade Deadline, starting with a small deal that had big repurcussions with the luxury tax.

Boston Celtics first trade of the day:

Well that didn’t last long. Bol Bol and PJ Dozier‘s tenure with the Celtics lasted less than a month, and saw them combine to log 0 minutes of game action with the team. Then again, that was somewhat expected, but it’s certainly been a strange couple of weeks for the former Denver Nuggets reserves.

In case you forgot, the Celtics picked up both Bol and Dozier in January from a three team deal with the Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. The move was made with the intent of clearing Juancho Hernangomez’s salary off the books, as both Bol and Dozier were (and still currently are) injured for the foreseeable future.

In the same line of thought, that’s exactly was this deal did for the Celtics. Bol and Dozier have some potential as backend of the rotation guys in the future, but Dozier is a free agent after the season ends, and Bol has been very tough to count on to start his career. There was no sense holding onto either of these guys when they didn’t really have to.

The Celtics could have gotten under the luxury tax threshold by just cutting either one of these guys, but they decided to package them with a second round pick and some cash to presumably get a better second round pick in return from the Orlando Magic. It’s certainly not the most exciting move ever made, but it was quite beneficial for the C’s.

Realistically, Boston got a second round pick in return for two guys that probably weren’t a part of their long-term future. They also got under the luxury tax threshold, which is a huge plus heading into the offseason. Moves like this mean relatively little in terms of on-court production, but off the court, this was an impactful move for the Celtics, and it helped pave the way for the two other deals that were made today happen. Grade: A

Boston Celtics second trade of the day:

A couple of days ago, I explained how the Celtics could look to sell high on Josh Richardson at the deadline, and that’s exactly what they did here. With a solid three-and-d playstyle, along with a team friendly deal, the C’s were able to build a package around Richardson for San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White. Richardson was one of the Celtics best players off the bench, but they added a valuable piece in White who could end up being a big part of the team’s future.

White has developed into a starter for the Spurs over the past few years, and he presents a clear upgrade over Dennis Schroder off the bench (more on that later on). White is averaging 14.4 points per game this season while shooting 42.6 percent from the field. White is a solid defender at the guard position while also showing some improved playmaking abilities this season, as he’s averaging a career high 5.6 assists per game.

White is a solid addition, there’s no question about it. The issue is that this is a bit of a steep price for a guy who is essentially going to become the sixth man of this team. Richardson was a key part of the bench, so losing him off the bat hurts. Romeo Langford was given ample time to pan out but never did, so cutting ties with him here doesn’t feel like a massive loss.

The issue is the draft picks. The Celtics gave up their first rounder in the upcoming draft, and they are taking a bit of a risk in doing so. They are banking on a successful finish to the season, which will help make the value of that pick lower. The better the Celtics play, the better this deal looks. The 2028 first round pick swap could be problematic down the line, but if things pan out with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, that shouldn’t be an issue.

Some will complain that this deal is a bit of an overpay, and while it may be, this is the first sign we have seen from the front office that they are intent on making things work with Tatum and Brown leading the way. They identified White as a target, and while losing the draft picks could come back to bite, Stevens made sure he did what it took to get his guy. And if he’s doing that at the Trade Deadline, chances are he will do it over the upcoming offseason too. Grade: A-

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+

Boston Celtics final Trade Deadline grade: A-

There will be some people complaining about the Celtics Trade Deadline moves, but there’s not too much to be upset about. They brought in some helpful players in White and Theis, weeded out some of the dead weight on their bench, and managed to stay under the luxury tax threshold too. They have some space to bring in players on the buyout market as well, so if you are unhappy, at least the roster isn’t fully set in stone yet.

Stevens and the front office accomplished pretty much every goal they wanted to at the deadline. White offers the potential to be a really solid fit with the team, and if he isn’t he has an extremely movable contract, so it’s not as if the two sides are married. Theis shores up the big man rotation and gives Udoka more options after he was basically handcuffed to an eight man rotation over the past few weeks.

Losing Richardson and Schroder hurts, but it’s not the biggest loss in the world. White is an upgrade over Schroder, and this opens up more minutes for Payton Pritchard to take advantage of as well. Replacing Richardson won’t fall on one player, but it should open up minutes for Aaron Nesmith. Whether he’s ready or not remains to be seen, but he will get his shot after sitting on the sideline for most of the season.

Overall, the goal of the front office is to build a championship contender around Tatum and Brown. These moves don’t necessarily put the Celtics closer to a title this season, but they set the team up for a potentially mammoth offseason. The Boston Celtics didn’t have the flashiest deadline performance, but this team is better off as a result of the moves they made, and that bodes well for the team’s future.