Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens stayed extremely busy Thursday and executed his third and remaining commerce of the day proper on the 3 p.m. ET deadline buzzer.
The Celtics reportedly traded veteran Xavier Tillman Sr. to the Charlotte Hornets, in line with ESPN’s Shams Charania. It was not instantly reported what Boston bought again in return. The Celtics additionally dealt reserves Josh Minott and Chris Boucher earlier within the day.
Getting beneath the posh tax threshold appeared to be a transparent motivator for Stevens and the Celtics on commerce deadline day and seems to be the principle purpose in offloading Tillman to the Hornets. The Celtics bought out of the posh tax with this deal because the $2.7 million because of Tillman this season got here off the books.
Tillman, who the Celtics acquired on the commerce deadline from the Memphis Grizzlies two years in the past, spent elements of three seasons with the Celtics however noticed his position dramatically lowered this season. He performed in solely 14 video games (one begin) and averaged simply 2.2 factors and 1.8 rebounds, however was considered as a veteran presence within the Celtics locker room.
Tillman most likely is finest remembered for the position he served on Boston’s championship-winning workforce in 2024. With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined for Sport 3 of the NBA Finals towards the Mavericks, Tillman got here off the bench and chipped in with three factors, 4 rebounds and two blocks in 11 minutes.
The Celtics have a couple of open roster spots now after the trades of Tillman, Minott and Boucher. Amari Williams, who handed Tillman within the rotation, additionally had his two-way deal converted into a daily contract. The Celtics have a 14-day window to maintain these spot open earlier than having to fill at the very least two of them.
