The Boston Celtics have until the NBA Trade Deadline to utilize the $6.2 million Grant Williams trade exception. The league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits teams who have crossed its second tax apron from using trade exceptions created the year prior.
For that, the Celtics may have some urgency to use it. If they do, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes proposed a trade that would send them Otto Porter Jr. Hughes outlined the following trade between the Celtics and Raptors in a February 7 story.
“This would be a purely speculative play by the Celtics, one based on the belief that Porter could summon something close to the level he hit while playing a key rotation role for the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors. Remember, Boston had a first-hand look at OPJ shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three across six Finals games in 2022.”
“Health is a major concern for Porter, who’s played 23 games since leaving Golden State two years ago. But Sam Hauser has been Boston’s only reliable backup wing this season. If a 2024 second-rounder is the cost of seeing whether Porter can provide 10 minutes of production every couple of games, a squad with Boston’s aspirations should be willing to pay it.”
Making $6.3 million this season, Porter fits into the Williams TPE. Per the CBA, teams can absorb a contract that makes up to $100,000 more than the exception they possess
As it turns out, the Celtics may very well add Otto Porter Jr. after all. Yahoo Sports! Jake Fischer reported that Porter has become one of their targets.
“Elsewhere atop the Eastern Conference, Boston has been weighing various options who could deepen the Celtics’ bench, according to league sources. Boston will likely be limited to adding pieces through its $6.25 million traded-player exception with which the Celtics could bring on a veteran target such as Otto Porter Jr., sources said,” Fischer wrote in a February 6 story.
The Raptors are currently 18-33 and are the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference. They traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, signaling that they will start over as a team. Porter likely does not have a long-term future with them.
After the Celtics acquired Xavier Tillman, Fischer reported on February 7 that doing so likely rules them out of trading for multiple big men.
“Boston had also been interested in reuniting with the big man it drafted out of Gonzaga, sources said, but the Celtics trading for Memphis’ Xavier Tillman will likely rule out Boston for Olynyk, Fischer wrote. “The Tillman trade should rule out the Celtics in the running for Andre Drummond as well. Chicago’s reserve center has drawn interest from various teams with varying postseason hopes.”
The last time Otto Porter Jr. was healthy, which was when he played for the Warriors, he played 64% of his minutes at center, per Basketball-Reference. If the Celtics acquire him, they may not play him that much at center.
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