Celtics Swing Savvy Deal with 76ers for Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman was acquired by the Boston Celtics from the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
As explained in-depth when dissecting the 245-pound, six-foot-eight player’s game, the financial components of the situation, and having a discussion inside According to dunksandthrees.com, Brad Stevens, the former Michigan State Spartan, is in the 99th percentile in defensive projected plus-minus. The Celtics had a conversation about this topic with the team’s head of basketball operations.
Alongside the talent in Boston, the 25-year-old Tillman is a talented passer and a guy with a high IQ who should have more of an offensive influence.
After the team atop the NBA standings improved to 39-12, earning a 125-117 victory vs. the Atlanta Hawks, Tillman’s new teammates and bench boss discussed adding him to their pursuit of Banner 18.
“Skilled; toughness; well-coached,” stated his new head coach, Joe Mazzulla. “Obviously, we paid a lot of attention to him because of the team that he plays for and the coach that he has, and I like his defensive versatility. He has really good numbers against some of the top centers in the league. His pick-and-roll defense and movement is actually really good, which gives us versatility at that position.”
Al Horford expressed, “We’re looking forward to having him here. And he’s a guy that’s played on good teams and understands how to play. I look forward to playing with him.”
But the Celtics kept acquiring and made a deal right before the trade deadline, equipped with an open roster slot and draft money that included four 2024–2026 second-round selections.
They acquired Jaden Springer from the Philadelphia 76ers for a second-round selection, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
In the second frame of this mid-November matchup between these two rivals, the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was at the center of a momentum-shifting play.
In the final twelve minutes before halftime, Springer gave Boston’s 117-107 victory in the City of Brotherly Love a much-needed boost of energy and athleticism, even though the visitors outscored them 60-49 in the second half.
With seven points in the first, he roused the otherwise silent Wells Fargo Center crowd and assisted Philadelphia in overcoming a 20-4 surge by the visitors to take a 58-57 lead into halftime.
Noting who plays well against your team is not unique to the Celtics, but Brad Stevens has acted on that on multiple occasions.
Examples include Oshae Brissett and two players they’ve traded in as many days, Lamar Stevens, who went to Memphis in the deal for Tillman, and Dalano Banton, who they rerouted to the Portland Trail Blazers for a heavily protected second-round pick, per Wojnarowski.
Springer, a six-foot-four guard, is averaging four points and nearly a steal per contest in 32 appearances and 11.8 minutes of floor time this season. While he’s not much of a shooter, he’s plenty willing to attack downhill and is a capable and disruptive defender. And as Boston’s last visit to Philadelphia can attest to, he’ll bring an energy boost when called upon.
It is improbable that Springer, this late in the season, would establish himself as a rotation fixture on a team this talented. But in these next 31 games leading up to the playoffs, he’ll pitch in when needed.
With a $4 million deal for the upcoming season, the 21-year-old native of North Carolina is a young, gifted athlete with lots of upside that the Celtics can keep developing.