The Celtics are finalizing a second trade deadline deal on Thursday, moving Daniel Theis in a three-team swap with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards that also sees Jeff Teague and Javonte Green being moved out. Boston lands fourth-year center Mo Wagner to Boston along with Bulls big man Luke Kornet.
So what are the motivations behind the deal from Boston’s perspective that is seemingly a step-down for Boston on the court? Let’s look at the factors involved.
The Celtics needed to cut salary after acquiring Fournier: Boston had a couple of million dollars they needed to shed in payroll in order to drop below the luxury tax line this season, a priority for a team that is below the .500 mark and will be paying the luxury tax for years to come if they want to put together a contender in a loaded Eastern Conference.
The Celtics had a variety of options in order to cut salary but moving on from Theis was the easiest way to achieve this goal without losing other assets on the roster. Bringing in Wagner ($2.1 million expiring salary) is a downgrade on the court but provides a stretch big option for Boston that can replace some of Theis’ 3-point shooting. In the meantime, the Celtics drop under the luxury tax line, giving them some needed breathing room to stay under the tax and potentially add a buyout player. Paying the tax this season was not a big issue for Boston’s ownership according to league sources but the prospect of triggering the harsher repeater tax sooner later this decade by staying in it for 2020-21 was enough to make it a priority to stay below that threshold in the present. Avoiding the tax now keeps Boston three years away from triggering the repeater tax, instead of facing it next season.
Opening the door for more opportunity for the young guys: Moving out Theis was done for financial reasons but the other factors involved with other names in this deal were clearly to open the door for Boston’s younger bench players. Jeff Teague had played two of his best games of the season this past week but all year long he had been eating into the playing time of Payton Pritchard and Carsen Edwards with underwhelming results. Similarly, Javonte Green gives Brad Stevens one fewer veteran option at the wing, opening the door for more chances for Aaron Nesmith to get regular reps along with Romeo Langford once he’s cleared to return. Rob Williams is also set to become the team’s starting center for as long as Tristan Thompson stays sidelined and may keep that spot if he performs well in the new role. Boston’s front office knows a big part of the team’s future is reliant upon those recent draft picks turning into useful rotation players (or more) and in order for that to happen, they need to play more now. Not all of them will turn into something worth keeping around over the long-term but taking out some veteran guys out of the equation will put Brad Stevens in a spot where he has to lean on the younger guys more off the bench, for better or worse.
Theis was not part of the long-term plan for Boston: The German center played well in his 3.5 years in Boston but the team’s payroll for next season made it very likely that the team would be able to pay Theis what he would command on the open market this offseason as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent. Instead of letting him walk away for nothing this offseason, they opted to move him proactively. The team will also create new $5 million trade exception after dealing him out since they will take Kornet and Wagner into Boston’s smaller TPEs.
All things considered, there wasn’t much about today that changes some tough looming big picture decisions for Boston. They still have tough choices to make this offseason involving future payroll and core players. However, they acquired a name that upgrades the team in the present in Fournier and potentially longer if the two sides agree to a long-term deal eventually. This trade helps keep the team’s finances in order for the present and paves the way for young guys to play a bigger role the rest of the way at a variety of positions. We will see if they are up for the challenge.
