11:20am: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Thunder and Celtics.
The second-round pick the Thunder will receive in 2025 will be the most favorable of the Celtics’ and Grizzlies’ picks, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets.
The second-rounder that Boston will get in 2023 will be the least favorable of the following three picks that OKC controls:
- The Thunder’s own second-rounder.
- The Wizards’ second-rounder.
- The most favorable of the Mavericks’ and Heat’s second-rounders.
Boston agreed to give Brown a $500K guarantee for next season as part of the deal, according to Marks (Twitter link). The Celtics also generated a $6.88MM trade exception.
8:20am: The Celtics will send point guard Kemba Walker and a pair of draft picks to the Thunder in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a future pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Boston has been looking for a taker for the veteran guard, who has been injured for much of the two years he spent with the team. A recent report said former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge started shopping Walker after the Celtics were knocked out of the playoffs last summer.
The main incentive for Boston was to get rid of Walker’s contract, which pays him close to $74MM over the next two seasons. He was considered an important addition when he signed a free agent deal with the Celtics two years ago, but a lingering knee injury limited his effectiveness. The 31-year-old missed 29 games this season and averaged 19.3 PPG, his worst scoring numbers in six years, while shooting just 42% from the field.
Walker’s contract includes a 15% trade bonus that will be voided, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). He would have received an additional $3.2MM if the trade had occurred after the league’s new calendar year starts on August 6.
The Thunder will receive the Celtics’ first-round pick this year, which is slotted at No. 16, along with a second-rounder in 2025. Boston will get OKC’s second-round selection in 2023. The Thunder now have three first-round picks in this year’s draft and five of the top 36 choices.
Horford returns to the Celtics two years after leaving for the Sixers in free agency. He spent one year in Philadelphia before being traded to Oklahoma City last December in a cost-cutting move. Horford never found a role on the rebuilding Thunder and played just 28 games before being shut down in late March after the trade deadline passed.
The 35-year-old big man was still effective when he played, averaging 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per night, and should be a welcome addition to the Celtics’ frontcourt. He will make $27MM next season and $26.5MM in 2022/23, but only $14.5MM of that year’s salary is guaranteed. Boston will save about $20MM for next season with the trade, Marks adds, and that figure could rise to $32MM for 2022/23 if Horford is waived before the season starts (Twitter link).
Brown, a 21-year-old center, showed a lot of promise in his second NBA season, starting 32 of the 43 games he played and averaging 8.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG per night. He is under contract through 2023/24, but no money is guaranteed beyond this season.
Today’s trade marks the first major deal for former coach Brad Stevens since he became the Celtics’ president of basketball operations two weeks ago. Wojnarowski notes that it involves Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who has been a friend of Stevens dating back to when he coached at Butler (Twitter link). Woj adds that it’s unusual for trades to take place before the pre-draft combine, but both sides were happy with what they got.
Oh snap!
Man Moses brown was really good and showed a lot of potential. Definitely think OKC is disappointed to give him up.
Yeah I was surprised to see Brown included. I think there’s a very good chance he’ll end up being better than the average #16 pick. That + Horford’s less onerous contract makes this seems like a steal for Boston
Celtics team salary 2021-22
Before the trade $134 million
Tax room $3 million
After the trade $124 million
Tax room $13 million
Use trade exception to land a good player
Moses Brown should be better than 16 and Robert Williams
Agreed, but Presti is hellbent on collecting first rounders. Either he’s going to load the roster with all these picks or move some in other trades as he begins to build the foundation.
Result of the trade
Celtics are still not top 4 in East
IMO
Grade C
Because luxury tax saving
I’d trade Walker for two players by adding more picks and salary, and use TE to add even more salary
Then let the owners pay $150 million luxury tax next season
Why did Celtics let Horford and Hayward walk for nothing？
The owners are unlikely to pay $50 million tax per season，imo
They definitely thought Horford was opting in, definitely botched Hayward sign and trade
I like the idea of coaching upgrade for playoff success
Celtics
Mavs
Blazers
The expectation is sky high
They didn’t botch the Indiana sign and trade…GH took the Charlotte money instead… Can’t sign and trade a player if he’s not willing to be signed and traded… Lol
Bringing back Horford must have been desperate to unload Walker. I was thinking Walker, Smart, #1 pick for KP and Brunson.
And that wasnt a bad take, pretty reasonable.
Yeah, I kind of see both sides here. I think KP6 would have been a higher upside 3rd option, think his skill set would work well next to Brown and Tatum.
But he has an extra year on his contract. They’re going to get probably a solid year of Horford, then they can move in another direction. Plus Moses Brown might be better than any big not named Bob Williams on their roster.
I think they may be afraid of the injury history of KP too though. They had enough of paying out max money for someone (Kamba) sitting on the bench.
Not sure Dallas would pull that. Taking the ball out of Doncic’s hands…and Walker certainly would, may not be the route to go.
Walker would have to play in order to take the ball out of Doncic’s hands.
Lol. This is true as well.
Obviously, Brad Stevens had some things in mind. This is wild. OKC’s backcourt is all of a sudden fantastic.
On paper, I agree!
Knees don’t suddenly heal with a trade. Hopefully Walker can be a Runner this season, completely healthy!
If they even play him. Remember what they did to Horford when he started playing well this season.
That doesn’t really apply here cause the thunder were tanking whereas the Celtics hope to be competing.
Glad to see OKC got draft picks because they only appear to have about 100 selections between now and say – 2025 or so.
I guess OKC is making preparations in case the G League expands to four tiers like baseball and they need to fill out the rosters.
They’re gonna use them to trade up. They’re getting Cunningham at any cost.
Not a bad thought. Although Cunningham would be a strange fit next to SGA, unless they are trading him too and starting over again. Which would be weird.
I think they are more likely to be targeting Mobley and/or one of the Jalens if they get the Rockets pick also. That would seem to be a better fit than Cunningham just because he went to college at OSU.
Of course that is just what I would do, OKC may think differently.
Once again Sam Presti is proving why he’s the leagues top GM. Watch Walker rebuild his value in OKC a la CP3 and get flipped for additional assets.
exactly
Wouldn’t be surprised. It did seem kemba was getting better as the season went on.
Could be a Chris Paul situation all over again. Granted Kemba isn’t the player Paul is but he’s still good at basketball and been a top player.
Oh great. Now Kemba will be asked to stay home for the entire 2021-22 season.
Well, I guess there is about a 75% chance he will be injured anyway, so maybe the match is good.
Walkers knee is really bad, it’s the same thing brandon roy went through. You know its bad when you give up the “better” player and no.16 just to get rid of the contract. I wouldnt be surprised if lemba retires in a year or two
Brandon Roy. There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. He could have been one of the greats if his body had just held up.
He’s still great, his name is just Jayson Tatum now.
Taller version, but yeah. Agreed. Good match.
Look out, if Tatum takes a Roy-like attitude on court.
True
Brad Stevens was in a rush to lose his first trade. In what works is Al Hortford worth Kemba and a first? Gave up a pick just outside the lottery to save 9 mil next year on someone that isn’t going to get them over the hump. More power to them.
In what world*
When teams trade picks for cap space (savings), the cost is almost always in the same price range. Boston didn’t overpay. They even exchanged 2nds to round it off.
It’s called a salary dump. They are not worried about the savings for next year. They are worried about the savings for the year after, which are immense and well worth the pick.
The Celtics already have a bench full of guys picked around #16. They don’t need another one. But they definitely need the $36MM in savings in 2022-23. Might be able to get a real game changer then.
Horford is under contract in 2022-23, although only 14M is guranteed. Still a savings of 20M or so.
Thank you Curtis, I had forgotten he an extra year. He could be a buyout candidate this season as well. Which could save even more.
Also, there is some cap savings by dealing that #16 pick. The #16 pick, Isaiah Stewart’s salary was $3.12M this season. But also the Celtics haven’t drafted well outside the top 10 in the last 10 years (only exception Rozier)
Fact is Walker is one of the most over rated players in the NBA. He can score as a 6th man off the bench but doesn’t do anything else. I have no idea why these teams spend so much for 1 dimensional players. G league is full of players that can score so spend the money on players that can play defense too.
The G League is not full of players that can score ON NBA DEFENDERS. If they could, they would not be G League players. There are players that score a lot in high school, that doesn’t make them better than Kemba Walker.
BTW, check your definition of a fact. Whether or not Kemba Walker or anyone else is overrated is the very definition of an opinion.
Walker had 1 year of scoring over 20 points a game. Remind you 1 year in 10 years and only 2 years with over 18 PG. He is not a rebounder or assist man so offense should be much better. Those are more of a 6th man off the bench stats. To say he is a all star is a opinion because nothing says he is a top player for a team
Umm, Walker averaged over 20 ppg five years, not one.
They should kept rosier
If they’re worried about the cap charge of a first round pick they could have just taken a draft and stash guy. The pick is always worth more than the cap hold, even in a weaker draft. They jumped at the cap savings because the cap is going down and they don’t want to pay for the luxury. I promise the Knicks were their first call. Interesting that they weren’t interested.
Maybe…but very unlikely to stash someone you take that early
They did it for one year with Guerschon Yeurbele (sp?). They took him around #16 and then stashed him for a year. Not a great example since he washed out so quickly, but it still happened.
That’s true but that was due to their already loaded roster and didn’t have space for him. It’s not the case now.
Knicks dont have salaries they want to send out to match. They also have cap room and several attractive PG options in FA that cost nothing but money.
Also FWIW Horford was actually pretty good last year. Plus he knows Boston’s system, played with Tatum and Brown.
And don’t sleep on Moses Brown. He’ll be great insurance if Williams continues to have injury issues.
Boston just dumped Kemba’s contract *and* did a decent job of shoring up their putrid frontcourt.
Granted, now they need a PG, but maybe the hope is Tatum can play more Point Forward next season.
Celtics don’t need another young guy that won’t get any minutes
it’s about the year after too. as for the cost — you pay premiums to get off of bad contracts like Walker. Horford was needed to match the salary hit. They got a really solid player in Brown – 21, productive, talented. He is likely better than what they get with the pick. You’ve got it backwards – for a salary dump, Boston got a lot that can help them.
I like this for Boston. Rids Boston of Kembas contract and injuries, clears cap space, Moses is a good young center, and Al (although not that great of a player) is a great veteran presence that the team has been missing
Interesting. I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it either. The dude is 35 years old.
Looks like Thompson is on the move.
He should be on the move. His signing was cheaper than Kemba, but almost as bad.
Moses Brown a starter on a contender?—
I doubt it. He will be found out.
Both Williams and Horford would start over Brown.
Yes, I posted too fast.
The Celtics are loading up on centers now! Makes me wonder who the positionless BB fan was between Stevens and Ainge. This trade says it was Ainge.
Al Horford fit very well with our Boston Celtics before. And now he can additionally mentor Rob Williams & Moses Brown. Maybe he’ll become a coach for us. Like Sam Cassell?
He plays more than Kyrie Irving
So who is pg now for the Celtics?
Smart and Pritchard.
You have to wonder if maybe another trade might be in the future. Lonzo sign and trade, perhaps? Not sure exactly what it would take, but the Celtics have enough prospects that they could match up with New Orleans.
It’s possible Brown and Rob Williams is a bit redundant.
Be careful suggesting Rob Williams, there are some Boston fans here that consider him on par with young Kevin McHale in terms of value to the Celtics.
One plus about Horford is they did run a lot of offense through him. Not that he’s going to be bringing the ball up – but he’s an excellent passer for a big. That will probably help mitigate their lack of a true PG.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Tatum came back an improved playmaker next year either.
Man Moses Brown was really good and showed a lot of potential that’s disappointing he had to be let go
Yeah, Ainge was a disaster last year.
Celtics give up couple 1sts and thunder send back a 2nd?
Thunder continue to add to their draft capital.
If they wind up with the rockets pick this year and another top pick of their own they should look into dealing picks for a big to play alongside SGA and their two high draft picks.
Maybe Myles Turner or just try to sign John Collins.
Celtics don’t need any more mid draft players. They have enough of those. They need the money to go sign a game changer
Thunder arnt trading 1st round picks and the ability to control 5-7 years of playing time for any player that is established and will leave via FA. This is the smallest market in the NBA and because of that, all in house talent will have to be drafted.
They are going to have to do something with all those picks. There are only 17 roster spots. They won’t have room to keep all those guys for 5-7 years.
They would’ve been better off trying to get KP if it was a option but I’m really surprised they went with AL instead after he left he didn’t seem to be happy in Boston maybe because of Kyrie idk just a head shaker of a move
No contender is trading for KP and all that guaranteed salary as max player. The celtics have Jaylen Brown/Jasyon Tatum, they need to find players that fit this model. Myles Turner would be a better fit for the Celtics.
Horford was well established in Boston. Philly offered more money and a forward slot. Boston was going to move him to center. Stevens may have been jolted but he could have used him the past two years (at less salary).
The trade could happen quickly bC Stevens knows what he is getting. The team needs steadying, and Kemba is declining fast.
I think this is a good move.
Celtics needed a decent big – Al will play while they wait and see who wants it more – Moses or Rob.
Better than getting KP. I’d assume KP wants some say in where he ends up next.
They will be looking to buyout Horford
how does a buyout work when someone is owed that much money… you might as well keep him and cross your fingers…. Smart is the next guy they need to unload..
The name Blake Griffin comes to mind when you ask how a buyout works with so much money left on a deal.
OK that is one guy that agreed to give up 13 million.. You have to wonder if the Pistons set a minimum amount of relief before Blake would be set free. These things are never mentioned… The media release is both sides are delighted. I do not expect Horford or Walker to be so “generous”.
Good move for both sides. Boston got rid of Walker. Horford and Brown can help a lot their frontcourt. OKC got more picks and a good vet that they can trade next yr as a expiring
Pritchard should host a fix and flip show on HGTV.
My bad – PRESTI should host a fix and flip show.
They could call the show, “Love Him or Trade Him OKC”. So are you going love him, or are you going to trade him?
Honestly, ESPN could do a mini series on the whole fix-and-flip phenomenon in the NBA.
Maybe Presti and Pritchard could co-host the thing. Presti could be the brains and Pritchard could be the younger comic relief. I’d watch that.
Good idea!
why is OKC not bankrupt ? Now this small market city is picking up one of the worst contracts in the league. Knees do not heal.
Presti isn’t done yet. He flipped several players last summer after acquiring them.
Regardless of their market size, the Thunder have a lot of support and even when they’re terrible, they still finish middle of the pack for attendance.
Amazing trade for Boston, although they have a bunch of bigs now. Al Horford is still a really good player, and a top level defender. I’m a big fan of Moses brown. Saw him in the G-league last year, and he stood out with how hard he plays. He will get a lot of opportunities if he stays with that type of energy. I’m curious what Boston does with their other bigs now, and what they might do with that guard spot, and if they try to add a primary ball handler, but I’m not sure they need to. Marcus Smart, Peyton Pritchard, Romeo Lanford/Jaylen Brown, as their guard rotation, and potentially if they keep someone like Fournier or add a piece, preferably a shooter, is fine.
Horford also helps their issue with the ball stopping, and gives them another playmaker at multiple areas of the floor, as well as helping their spacing, which has also been an issue, being able to knock down shots.
I think next year we’ll see more of what I thought we would this year, with Pritchard and Nesmith seeing more time, and Langford being healthy. I do wonder what they’ll do with Ojeleye and Grant Williams, and then what I mentioned earlier about their other bigs.
Have to look at OKC’s side when I get a chance, b/c their roster has a lot of moving pieces since the trade deadline
Yeah I like it for Boston too. They have more moves to make – Thompson for sure is gone, Smart has been discussed as well. I’m ok with keeping Marcus if they re-sign Fournier, which seems essential. Not sure what it means for Time Lord, but this is a solid first step for President Brad.
The irony of this move. Lot of Sixers fans wanted Kemba during that FA. And then when we got Al, it was like can we give him back to Boston? Thunder got 2 1sts picks out of trading Danny Green for Al and Al for Kemba. Crafty.
Couldn’t wait for the playoffs to end? Sheesh well alright then let the trade szn commence!
i mean, who cares? two teams with nothing but waiting to do want to get some things done early.
“He would have received an additional $3.2MM if the trade had occurred after the league’s new calendar year starts on August 6.”
This makes it sound like they don’t have to wait until the new league year for this to become official? Is that right?
Yeah, trades can technically be officially completed as soon as a team’s season is over. Teams usually don’t start formally finalizing details until a week or two before the draft, but it can be done.
Kemba was toxic and the Celts couldnt wait to get rid of him, yet the commentators always misleadingly praised his worth to the team.
Toxic how? He was credited for inducing a positive mood. Maybe too good?— he could talk the talk but had problems with the walk.
Celts gotta trade Smart away too because he still wont accept it’s Tatum/Brown team.
Only a matter of time before Kemba is bought our and goes to the Lakers or the Nets. At least we are getting one year of some different teams deep in the playoffs.
Brad must know more about Kemba’s health. I have heard the knee is not good. Moses Brown has a cheap contract which is good. Brad Likes Smart at PG with Al Smart does not have to shoot if Nesmith or Langford Start. We still can trade TT for another player. Brad also can still flip Al and TT for KP.
I like this trade for both teams. It seems like the thunder are doing what the Celtics did 6-8 years ago acquiring draft picks for half decent talent. I like Walker but he wasn’t a fit on this team and the knees are worrisome. Now a starting 5 of smart/brown/Tatum/horford/Williams will be legit defensively and they’ll move the ball much better. Second line of Prichard/Langford/neysmith/Thompson/grant can compete. There’s really no room for another mid first rounder anyways
Good deal for both.
Congrats to Stevens, for just making the damn deal without any drama. Hard to see his predecessor having completed a trade this quickly.
Presti gets another 1st this year. He’s navigated the draft well in the past, so should be interesting to see what he does. Probably depends on whether he gets Houston’s pick. He’s certainly made OKC a successful rehab center for bad contracts. Got multiple 1sts/swaps to take on CP3, and then got a 1st to trade him. Got a 1st to take on Horford, and now gets a 1st to trade him (although he takes on Walker, a worse contract for now).
The problem with having all the draft picks is that you have a limited roster. You can have 35 draft picks like OKC, but unless you use them to move up or trade them for future picks, you are going to have a lot of wasted talent in the “DNP-Coach’s Decision” category.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they will be used wisely, at least some of them, but as of now they just have a lot of chips.
The risk you identify is real and many teams fall victim to it, mainly those that think development is about drafting young talent and handing it minutes and advice. We’ll see, but I don’t think Presti or his ownership group have an appetite for that type of endless rebuild, and he’s a guy who’s always targeted specific draft targets (not just drafting as much talent as possible). So, I think he’ll almost certainly do the “trade up / down / out” thing as the draft board breaks (or, earlier, on how the ping pong balls break). In a draft with a top 5, he could have two top 5 picks, or none. Got to know that first.
It is very possible that is the way they will do things. I would go as far to say that is precisely what they will do. However, trading up/down/to the future is just as risky and collecting lots of picks. The player names they get might be more well known, but they are just as much an unknown quantity as anyone else in the pros. Everyone talks about there being a “top 5” in this draft, but history has shown that 1-2 of those 5 will be a major bust, , another 1-2 will be average players, and only 1-2 of them will become stars. So even trading up is no guarantee of success.
Personally what I would do with those picks is try and build a team from players other teams are looking to dump. Use some of the picks you have to trade for a Harrison Barnes or a Kevin Love or a Terry Rozier or a Myles Turner or some other team where a young player has pushed out a still capable vet player. You could probably get all of those players for just a fraction of your overall draft capital + some salary on the current team. The ceiling of your team might not as large as doing a full youthful rebuild, but the floor is a lot higher as well.
But a team with a starting 5 of Rozier, SGA, Barnes, Love, Turner with a bench of draft picks and your current young prospects would be eminently more watchable than what they put on the court last year. That team might even challenge for a playoff spot, even in the West. And would STILL offer a lot of potential in the future.
Trading for available vets is fine, but I wouldn’t go there until a few foundation pieces are put in first (and, for OKC, those are usually RSC guys). If you’re putting a team together for more than one year, even the vets you trade for have to be contractually controllable for a time and not be so overpaid that they can’t be dealt if things don’t work out. Turner is a building block that would be good to go get for a pick(s) and cap space, as he is likely still available only because of Sabonis. But I see issues with trying to build with Love (always hurt) and Rozier (expiring contract).
I’m not necessarily saying build the team around that particular starting lineup, but it would work for 2021-22. And you still have tons of prospects on the bench. A couple could step up and make a vet expendable or make themselves a decent trade chip.
The point is that your lineup doesn’t have to be set in stone for 5 years in order to be successful. Love may get hurt, but he may not. Rozier is an expiring contract, but he would be there next year and you would have his Bird rights. Any of the vets that left could be replaced by bench prospects or similar vets next offseason.
Wow
One man’s garbage is another man persons good ungarbage.
Very weird to see Moses brown in this deal bc he seemed to be a guy with potential. They could use him to build or in a different trade for someone else. But I guess they really believe in roby who had some flashes as well.
So not Kemba for Softzingis? Not Kemba for Rubio,Hernangomez & Laman?
I don’t think it a big win for either team but a trade made to address needs based on where they are competing wise. What the C’s needed were quality big men who defend, rebound, pass, space the floor, and on the whole provide some veteran leadership. Between Horford and Brown we got that. We also needed some salary relief – we got that as well. What we didn’t need: albatross underperforming contract, more undersized guards, and another rookie who may or may not provide serviceable minutes. Even if you consider the Kemba/Horford contract swap a wash (which I don’t giving a slight edge to Boston for salary relief and better leadership from Horford at position of need), is there a big at pick 16 who is going to come in and average just shy of a double double upon arrival? Brown is basically and 9 and 9 guy right now with upside potential yet to be realized. Maybe there is – I have my doubts. But 7’2 willing to mix it up underneath is exactly what we needed. Along with Horford, that is how you tackle the KD, Embiid, Giannis issues of our 3 biggest conference rivals.
OKC will flip Walker to another team.
Not until he plays half a season and shows he can play. It will be for another bad contract that is less expensive.
Unless they take back an equally bad contract, the price would be at least two 1st round picks. They have plenty, but somehow I don’t see them doing it. Lot of effort to dump Horford for a pick.
A first and Westbrick would just be so so so good. Like full circle it would be kinda hilarious.
Yes, it would be.
More likely that they keep him this year. Then try and move him as an expiring next summer or just buy him out if that’s not possible.
Brad must have really not liked Kemba
Another UCONN dud.
How is he a dud exactly?
Great move for Boston…..if they want to be first round fodder. Kemba may be trash right now but Horford isn’t any better.
@Luke Adams, do you know why it was necessary to partially guarantee Moses’ salary next year? If my math is right, Horford’s $27.5mm salary is enough to absorb Walker’s $34.4mm salary per the 125% + 100k match rule…
I believe that, for trades after the season, outgoing salary is determined as the lesser of the current year and the guaranteed amount for next year. Horford has a 500K step down, so Brown’s guaranteed number had to increase (from $0) by that amount.
Yeah, I believe this is accurate. Rarely comes up because there aren’t many declining contracts.
So who was on here for yrs telling how they never replaced AL. I’m shocked no NBA team has called me by now. Man It’s just a gift …..
So they gave away Kemba. Truth is he was always hurt. Never was the player he was in Charlotte. Al will get his chance to show they made a BIG mistake, not resigning him. And the kid Brown has a future too. They better not waste him and develop him. He’s a true center, big upside IMO. Wow I just love this game. Carlisle will get this team to Finals. Book it ….
Kemba is burned out and this is just a way to gather more picks. OKC is not doing this to improve the active roster. Celtics paid to dump a contract, that is the whole story, they will probably try to flip Horford or stretch him.
Horford is going to stay bud.
Moses Brown is a legitimate NBA center and a steal for them damned Celtics. This is a rare miss for OKC’s GM.
A clear win for both teams.
CELTS get an old hand, a nice prospect and free up cap space next offseason. With so many bigs now, it looks like Tristan Thompson will be the next one to go.
OKC gets more picks and a legit starting PG they showcase then flip in the near future, for more assets or picks.
Sam Presti should hold a masterclass for team-rebuilding.