A little under a day away from the NBA Trade Deadline, and the Boston Celtics have made a move.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Celtics have traded guard Jaden Springer and their 2030 second-round pick to the Houston Rockets. In exchange, the Celtics are receiving a "heavily protected second-rounder" from Houston.
Spotrac's Kevin Smith posted on X.com that this move for the Celtics saves them "roughly $15 million in actual dollars," reducing their massive upcoming tax bill. Springer being moved to Houston also frees up a roster spot, giving the team the flexibility to add another player.
The 22-year-old Tennessee-product had been seeing more playing time of late, leading many on the Celtics beat to speculate if the team was showcasing the shooting guard in an effort to move him at the deadline.
Those gut feelings have seemingly come to fruition, as Springer is added to a young Rockets team currently sitting at third in the Western Conference at 32-18 under former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.
In 26 games this season, Springer was averaging 1.7 points in 5.4 minutes of action, with a field goal percentage of 35.3%.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 29: Jaden Springer #44 of the Boston Celtics watches a free throw during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the TD Garden on January 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
Coming off their 112-105 win last night in Cleveland against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers, the Celtics (36-15) have won 7 of their last 9 games. They currently sit 4.5 games behind Cleveland for the top spot in the conference.
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