With the NBA Trade Deadline now behind us, the rosters for teams for the remainder of the season are pretty much set. Franchises will be able to add free agents on the buyout market to address some needs, but the biggest moves have been completed.
One of the teams who were pretty active ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline was the Boston Celtics. They acquired big man Xavier Tillman Sr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, giving them some frontcourt insurance for Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
The team also flipped Dalano Banton and cash to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a second-round pick that is heavily protected in the top 55. Boston also bolstered their backcourt depth, acquiring 2021 first-round pick Jayden Springer from the Philadelphia 76ers.
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It was smart for the Celtics, who currently have the best record in the NBA at 39-12, to improve as much as they could on the fringes. They made their big moves in the offseason, acquiring Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in trades; Thursday afternoon was all about adding depth pieces where possible.
With a healthy six-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics aren’t feeling much pressure currently in the race for homecourt. Many people are assuming they will be the No. 1 seed not only in the Eastern Conference but NBA as a whole come playoff time.
All of their focus from here on out will be on the postseason and being as prepared as possible. They didn’t look great at points in last year’s playoffs, as there are few concerns for the team. During a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Bill Simmons, a huge Celtics fan, touched on some of the things that worry him about his squad.
Another topic of discussion was which team he believes should worry the Celtics the most. Following the NBA trade deadline, he believes that team to be their Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Knicks.
“What an awesome trade…I’ve been worried about Knicks from a Celtics fan’s standpoint…could hang w/ Celtics in a playoff series…Tough, hard to go thru, really good at home, have a closer, have OG to throw at Tatum…size…Legit threat…” Simmons said to Ryen Russillo.
The Knicks made arguably the most impactful deadline deal, acquiring Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons. It can be argued they have the deepest and most talented top-10 in the NBA at this point.
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Burks and Bogdanovic are joining Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa as rotation pieces. Even their end of the bench depth, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims, could be in several NBA rotations.
Simmons is correct in his assessment that the Knicks are a team the Celtics should certainly worry about. Going into games against New York you know they are going to be physical and wear you down on both ends of the court.
The additions they made via trades this season only made them more dangerous and well-rounded, as the pieces fit together around Brunson and Randle much better now. If you didn’t believe in the Knicks before, it is time to start getting on board.
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