Celtics Bring Back a Familiar Face in Latest Projected Trade

The Boston Celtics are 22-7 for the season and 3.5 games behind the Eastern Conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even though the reigning champions would prefer to have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, they are presumably not too scared of the Cavs or any other East team for that matter. There is a reason the Celtics are -105 favorites to make the NBA Finals per FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Celtics clearly don't need roster upgrades to repeat as NBA champions. They have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league. Yet, we know how Brad Stevens operates. He will leave no stone unturned for even the most minor upgrades. With the February 6 trade deadline looming, the Celtics may find themselves involved in a deal.

Oliver Fox at SBNation came up with mock trade scenarios for all 30 teams. The trade he cooked up for the Celtics has Boston bring back a former player. In this deal, the Celtics trade Xavier Tillman Sr. and a second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Daniel Theis.

After being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, Tillman contributed to Boston's championship run. During Kristaps Porzingis' absence, Tillman played a role as a small-ball, defense-first center. This season, however, he has been marginalized with Luke Kornet's resurgence. Tillman's offense is too limited to trust in extended minutes at the highest levels.

Theis isn't the same player he was in his previous two stints in Boston but he is an experienced veteran. He has played in 40 (22 starts) playoff games for the Celtics in his career. With his shooting and rim protection, he can be an emergency backup in the case of Porzingis or Kornet's absences. He is still a limited player but he is likely an upgrade over Tillman.

Replacing Tillman with Theis isn't going to drastically change the Celtics' chances. Yet, it can't hurt to have more competent veterans who know the system and the organization in the fold.

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