Why The Boston Celtics Let The $17.1 Million Evan Fournier Trade Exception Expire

So long, Evan Fournier trade exception. On Monday night, the Boston Celtics allowed the $17.1 million TPE they received in the sign-and-trade deal with the New York Knicks expire. The Celtics had sacrificed two second-round picks to create that exception, yet when the time came to cash it in, they decided to let it go without receiving anything in return for it.

As inexplicable as that may have seemed on the outside, there were many reasons for that. In an in-depth article for MassLive, Brian Robb start the very valid point that when the Celtics made the trade for the Indiana Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon, that severely lessened their need to acquire a player that would have fit within the TPE. Robb also noted that making a move just to get a player in a haphazard “use it or lose it” sort of way wouldn’t be ideal for a team currently well above the luxury tax.

MORE FROM FORBESThe Malcolm Brogdon Trade Shows The Boston Celtics Are Willing To Put Their Money On The LineBy Hunter Felt

It also helps that the Celtics have gone out of their way to acquire TPEs recently, so the cupboard is far from bare. Currently, they have a $5.9 million one following the trade that sent Dennis Schröder to Houston Rockets in exchange for Daniel Theis and a $6.9 million one they received after they sent the little-used Juancho Hernangómez to the San Antonio Spurs. If they find the right player, they have some tools at their disposal.

That’s the key phrase here, “if they find the right player” for the price. In an ideal world, the Celtics would have found a way to cash in that Fournier TPE, but one must keep in mind that they were not operating in the realm of pure theory. Boston wasn’t just going to grab a random player simply because they were running out of time, they would need a player that could fit on an already deep roster.

This time around, as longtime Celtics blogger John Karalis explained on Twitter: “nothing good enough came along.” In other words: this team was not going to fall prey to sunk cost fallacy.

Those are the specific reasons why the Celtics stood still on Monday. The big picture reason goes back to a topic this space broached while dismissing the possibility of them taking a big swing and acquiring Kevin Durant should the Brooklyn Nets make him available. It feels quite clear that, the Celtics as currently configured will be, more or less, the Celtics that we will see when the regular season begins.

When the Celtics put together that sign-and-trade with the Knicks, they were trying to plan ahead for a possible future contingency. Once the Celtics shocked the NBA world by acquiring Brogdon—immediately after signing Danilo Gallinari to a free agent deal—they effectively took care of an entire off-season’s work in the span of a few days. That backup plan was put on the back burner.

As far as those other trade exceptions, Celtics president Brad Stevens has made it clear that the decisions they will make will not depend on when a TPE happens to expire. As he explained a few weeks ago, “If the costs are appropriate, you continue discussions and if they are not, you table it for now and maybe return to that later.”

Okay, so that’s not the sexiest statement in Celtics history. After emerging as one of free agency’s biggest winners, however, they have earned the right to play things rather conservatively for a spell.