Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey had a downright shocking admission about why he traded Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics at the NBA’s February 8 trade deadline: he valued a future second-round pick more.
“We had to look at, what are the odds Jaden Springer — who I think has a great future — helps our playoff rotation in the one, two, three-year horizon,” Morey said, via Sam DiGiovanni (h/t MassLive). “And what are the odds a second-round pick helps us? And we thought the second-round pick helped us more. And that’s just the reality, it allows us to maybe get a veteran at next year’s deadline, things like that.
“We did it. It sucks. Jaden’s going to be really good, I think. I think his timetable is a little pushed out, though. Our evaluation was that his timetable to help a playoff team is farther than what the second-round pick can do for us.”
I suppose it’s not hard to see why James Harden and Patrick Beverley don’t hold Morey in the highest regard. Morey’s comments about Springer were belittling, but also potentially motivating for the former Tennessee Volunteer.
Springer was brought on not to be a game-changer, but to make the Celtics bench feel less temporary. Dalano Banton, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, and Luke Kornet felt like a make-it-or-leave bunch, and half of that group is now elsewhere post-deadline. Springer and fellow newcomer Xavier Tillman could fill in the holes defensively; and for more than just the rest of the 2023-24 season to boot.
With Morey opening pandora’s box with a bulletin board material-type potshot, it’s on Springer to show the world that, though his previous team didn’t value him, he’s now in the perfect place for his career to take off.
The Boston Celtics currently have an NBA-best 40-12 record and appear to be far and away the best team in the association, but they have struggled in the last month. With losses at home to the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, the Cs have shown that they can be vulnerable.
With the All-Star break approaching, it’s a good time for us at the Houdini to assess our confidence level in the Celtics and their championship hopes.
The scale that we are going to use is 1-10, with 10 being we would guarantee they win the NBA title and one being they have absolutely no chance.
With that being said, my confidence level in the Cs right now is at seven. Although that might seem low to some fans, I think it’s fair given how the team has looked lately. When the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, I thought we would see an updated version of the team in the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown era.
Instead, the Celtics are not all that different, as they still shoot way too many three-pointers, and there are still people out there who question their overall toughness and makeup. Although the addition of Porzingis was supposed to alter the C’s offense, they currently attempt the most three-pointers in the NBA.
Stephen A. Smith brought up a great point on a local Boston radio show that you are not going to beat the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers by shooting that many threes. I completely agree with Smith, and it’s a big reason why I have my doubts about the Celtics.
The overall toughness of the team makes me nervous, especially when you consider some potential playoff matchups. Although the Cs are more talented than the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, they are tougher, which should be a cause for concern. Even the Nuggets showed last season that they can rise to another level when challenged.
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