The Boston Celtics were rumored to be active ahead of the NBA trade deadline. They were involved in numerous deals, some that were bigger than others. Ultimately, they opted to make incremental changes to their rotation.
The first deal they completed was with the San Antonio Spurs. Boston sent Josh Richardson out west, bringing back combo guard Derrick White. In their second trade, they are bringing back a familiar face in Daniel Thies.
The Celtics finalized a deal that brings Theis back to Beantown from the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are receiving Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando in the deal and buyouts are expected to be worked on.
Freedom is being waived upon completion of the deal and he will have a chance to latch on with another team. He has been buried on the Celtics’ bench all season so he likely won’t be met with a warm market.
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Schroder, on the other hand, will be among the most popular players on the buyout market. There are several teams in need of point guard help that will be interested in Schroder. If he is looking for the most playing time and a starting spot, the New York Knicks could be a potential landing spot.
Contenders in need of depth in the backcourt will also come calling. The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks are a few potential landing spots. It would be shocking if he was on the Houston Rockets roster beyond Thursday given they are in a total rebuild.
As for the Celtics, they add some more useful depth in the frontcourt, an area of need. They know what they are getting in Theis as he spent the first 3.5 seasons of his career in Boston. He should slot right into the rotation behind Robert Williams, joining Grant Williams on the second unit.
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It was a shrewd move by the Boston Celtics to turn Dennis Schroder into a rotation player in the frontcourt. It was highly unlikely they were going to be able to re-sign him in the offseason, so bringing in someone to help the frontcourt was a smart decision.
Boston also has open roster spots now to be players on the buyout market as they sent out six players at the deadline and brought back only two, saving some money in the process as well.
