The Boston Celtics Wisely Stand Pat During A Busy NBA Trade Deadline

It was one of the busiest NBA trade deadlines in recent memory, but the Boston Celtics mostly sat it out. The Celtics could afford that luxury after spending the first half of the season building the NBA’s best record at 39-6. The night before, the supporting cast even made a case for not being broken up by leading a short-handed Boston squad to a remarkable 106-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics did not break up their team. In fact they managed to make a major move without parting with any key players, sending little-used forward Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to Oklahoma City Thunder for big man Mike Muscala. Muscala is making only $3.5 million this season, his contract has a team option for the same amount next season, meaning that Boston was able to utilize the $5.9 million trade exception it created in the Dennis Schröder deal last year.

If the team had one glaring need, Muscala, who has shot 41.3 percent from beyond the three-point line over the course of the last two seasons. probably fills it. The Celtics have been thin at the center position with Robert Williams still not fully recovered from off-season knee surgery and Al Horford not available on back-to-back nights. Against the 76ers on Sunday night, Boston was forced to start Blake Griffin in their place, something which has worked well on an occasional basis but is not ideal for a team with a championship-or-bust mentality.

Other than that, the Celtics stayed put. That means Payton Pritchard remains a Celtic, despite his quite vocal desire for more playing time. It also means that Boston held on to Grant Williams despite the strong likelihood that they won’t be able to re-sign him in the offseason. The Phoenix Suns’ league-altering trade for Kevin Durant also ensures that we won’t hear trade rumors involving him and Jaylen Brown anytime soon. (Thank goodness.)

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Despite this lack of major moves, their path to the NBA Finals might have become easier. The implosion of the Brooklyn Nets meant that both Kyrie Irving and Durant are now in the Western Conference, neutralizing one of their more dangerous potential playoff opponents. By taking a “don’t fix what isn’t broken” approach, the Celtics have chosen caution over potentially altering team chemistry.

And they could still make moves. Considering the nearly unprecedented amount of movement on the trade deadline, it’s likely that this will be one of the biggest buyout markets in recent years with Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Reggie Jackson, Danny Green, Kevin Love and many other big names potentially available in upcoming weeks.

The Celtics have an empty roster slot, a disabled player exception worth up to $3.2 million, the league’s best record and one of basketball’s great duos in Jayson Tatum and Brown. It’s hard to imagine a more ideal landing spot for a bought-out veteran looking for the best spot to potentially win a ring.

Still, whatever veteran they land in the buyout market sweepstakes will likely have to settle for playing a mere supporting role. As the Pritchard drama suggests, even longtime Celtics players are having trouble securing regular minutes on a roster this stacked. It’s possible that by avoiding making any big decisions at the moment, the Celtics have created headaches for themselves in the near future. This feels like a risk that the team is willing to make given that Banner 18 remains a real possibility this year.