JANUARY 19: The trade is official, according to a tweet from the Nuggets. As we relayed earlier today, the 2028 second-round pick acquired by the Spurs is top-33 protected, and San Antonio also received cash from both Boston ($2.15MM) and Denver ($200K).
JANUARY 18: Shooting guard Bryn Forbes is headed from the Spurs to the Nuggets as the headliner of a three-team deal that also involves the Celtics, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Forbes will once again join a playoff team, while Boston power forward Juancho Hernangomez and Denver’s 2028 second-round pick are heading to San Antonio. Two injured players, Nuggets power forward Bol Bol and guard PJ Dozier, will be sent to the Celtics.
As Woj details, the Nuggets, who at 22-20 are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, had been looking to acquire a wing to improve their bench scoring. Forbes, averaging 9.1 PPG on .432/.417/.898 shooting, fits the bill. The Nuggets had been linked to the veteran sharpshooter as a trade target as recently as yesterday.
Denver has been hit hard by injuries this season, so moving a pair of players who are expected to be sidelined for most or all of the season will help improve the team’s depth and will open up a spot on the team’s 15-man roster. A report over a week ago stated that the Nuggets were expected to add free agent center DeMarcus Cousins on a 10-day contract. That deal has yet to materialize, but Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets that there’s still mutual interest between the two sides.
The Nuggets tried to trade Bol to the Pistons last week, only to see the deal rescinded when he failed his team physical. Bol subsequently went under the knife for a foot surgery this week and is expected to miss at least eight-to-12 weeks of game action. Dozier will be out for the rest of the 2021/22 NBA season as he continues to recover from a surgery of his own to repair a torn ACL.
Wojnarowski reports that, at least at present, the Celtics intend to retain both Dozier and Bol through this season’s trade deadline. Bol could return by March or April and the C’s would have both players’ Bird rights in the offseason — Bol will be eligible for restricted free agency and Dozier will be unrestricted. Those plans could change if Boston needs to open up a roster spot in the coming weeks or months.
Hernangomez failed to crack the 23-22 Celtics’ rotation this season, averaging 1.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG across 5.3 MPG in just 18 contests. As Woj writes, by getting off Hernangomez’s $7MM salary and taking back Bol ($2.2MM) and Dozier ($1.9MM), Boston gets that much closer to ducking the NBA’s punitive luxury tax.
The Celtics won’t need to waive a player to accommodate their one-for-two trade, since they already had an open spot on their 15-man roster.
San Antonio’s decision to acquire a future draft pick and Hernangomez’s pseudo-expiring contract (next season’s salary is non-guaranteed) in exchange for Forbes, a role player on the 2021 championship-winning Bucks, could signal that the team has accepted it should be in asset-accrual mode in the weeks leading up to the league’s trade deadline.
The return for Forbes is modest, but that’s not a major surprise. While he’s a terrific shooter, Forbes is limited on the defensive end and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He also fell out of Milwaukee’s rotation during the NBA Finals last spring.
Denver wins this trade. Not that anyone really loses as much as Denver gained the most while losing virtually nothing outside of distant second rounder
Now all Boston needs to do is get Tacko Fall back… the plan is coming together!
Love this trade for the Nuggets. Forbes should see a lot of wide opens 3s playing with Jokic.
I don’t understand why the Spurs would trade Forbes for so little though. This man is one of the top 3pt shooters in the NBA and has plenty of playoff experience. All they get is a #2 pick seven years away and another big to sit on the bench next to Thad Young?
Celtics could be sending a 2nd of their own since they’re giving up nothing as of now. Or not, but it sure feels like there’s a small piece of this missing. Otherwise, this could be one of those “Spurs treating their vets well” kind of things. If and when Murray returns to the floor the Nuggets would be an okay playoff team; meanwhile, the Spurs will be happy to just make the play-in.
And the fact that Forbes signed for so little in a thin FA market should make clear his value around the league. Great shooter, very bad defender who doesn’t bring any other viable skills to the table. The Bucks were one of the few teams who had a chance at hiding him in certain lineups.
Not to mention the second round pick isn’t going to be near the first round it’ll likely be a mid to late second round pick. The chance of hitting on one of them is something like 1/50
The Spurs tend to draft well, and it’s hard to know what will happen in 6 years time. You could do worse for a 2nd.
That is why BOS has only won once in the last 36 years, all the moves they make are cost cutting, not to improve the team, at least they can be honest & say we don’t wanna win, ’cause we all know if you don’t get into lux tax territory you ain’t winning the NBA, as simple as!
So you would rather keep a guy that makes 7.5 million on your bench just because? How does this trade make them worse exactly?
Don’t mind Always Wrong El Don. He has the worst takes in the history of the world.
The reason why Boston has not won in years is because they have not drafted correctly in succession and they signed the wrong free agents.
It’s NOT because “all the moves they make are cost cutting.”
They hit on a few draft selections but then flop on a bunch right after. There’s no successful Squad being assembled. There’s a few hits and a bunch of misses. They make the playoffs and they’re pretty good but they don’t get over the top.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs coach makes Hernangomez into a valuable rotation player.
Well, if we kept 6’7” Gordon Hayward averaging 17 points and shooting 39% from three with 79 threes made or 6’7” Evan Fournier averaging 14 points and also shooting 39% from three with 118 made Celts might be better off.
We had both but both looked like “cost cutting” moves to me.
Gordon Hayward left as a free agent and signed a max deal with Charlotte. He was hurt quite a bit and many thought he’s not really worth the max with the Celtics at this point.
In Charlotte where they don’t attract a lot of free agents he was worth signing one guy to the max. Not quite cost cutting move by Boston but just good basketball sense.
Agree. Many Celtics fans were frustrated & angry with Hayward’s injury & thought he wasn’t worth a new contract. Proven wrong. Same thing Celts fans felt toward Scary Terry.
But Gordon Hayward left because cheapskate Celts wouldn’t pay him however we want to spin it. Not willing to pay is cost cutting in my book.
What a pathetic trade by clueless Stevens and it’s even more prof they should fire him before he makes any major trades because I have no faith in that clown and I’m starting to lose faith in the whole organization
How was this a bad trade for Celtics and Steven’s? They clear Hernangomez salary who they weren’t even using. They can two players who are essentially out for season and on cheaper deals individually. They save some money and will either use those players for salary matching purposes in a future trade or they will release them and sign someone off the buyout market or free agency or international player once those seasons end. Man people on here really need to learn sports.
I don’t know why posters need to trash Brad Stevens. It’s obvious the cheapskate owners are the problem. Stevens is on a financial leash & is doing a great job with that limitation, & that leash is maybe that’s why Ainge “retired.” Obviously that’s why Hayward & Fournier, 3rd scorers and ball movers, just what we needed & still need, are gone. Jeez!
I saw Bol Bol play just once &. maybe it was his best game but I was impressed. I hope he gets the chance with the Celts!
You aren’t a big picture guy, are you?
Firing Stevens would just cost the owners additional money. Paying 2 guys? No way.
Forbes is the only decent player here. Good pickup for Denver as they also dump two no hopers
So it’s
Boston: Bol Bol, PJ Dozier (Who used to play for them)
Nuggets: Bryn Forbes, Ability to sign Boogie
Spurs: Juancho Hernangomez, 2028 second rounder
Not a needle mover by any means, but it does help the Nuggets for sure
Salary dump for the C’s. Would be surprised is PJ or Bol ever play for them
I’m surprised Warriors never pursued him. He would have been a perfect fit for them.
The Warriors expect you to play defense. Big part of their persona.