How Belated Details Added New Context To Two Minor Deadline Deals
Here at Hoops Rumors, we pride ourselves on making sure that every single asset that changes hands in a trade shows up in our breakdown of that deal -- even the ones so minor that the term "asset" hardly applies.
In some cases, tracking that information is pretty simple. For instance, the Warriors and Hawks made it easy on us on Wednesday when they agreed to swap Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis in a deal that included no draft picks, no cash, no draft-rights players, and no additional pieces at all besides those three players.
In other instances, it's trickier, with certain missing pieces revealed belatedly, well after a trade has been agreed upon -- or even well after it has been officially finalized and announced.
On Thursday evening, for example, I spent way too much time trying to track down the details on what the Cavaliers got back from the Jazz in the trade that sent Lonzo Ball and a pair of second-round picks to Utah. Even when those two teams formally announced the trade in press releases, neither the Cavs nor the Jazz included any mention of what was headed from Utah to Cleveland.
In most cases, those missing details end up very minor. Case in point: We eventually learned on Friday that the Jazz sent $110K to Cleveland in the Ball trade. If they were going to include cash as their outgoing piece, that was the absolute minimum amount the Jazz could've sent to make the deal legal.
"Fake" second-round picks - second-rounders that include top-55 protection - are another type of minor asset often reported well after the fact. That was the case when the Celtics traded Xavier Tillman Sr. and $3.5MM in cash to Charlotte in a last-minute deal on Thursday. The inclusion of Tillman and the cash was reported at the same time, but it wasn't until the Hornets announced the trade about seven hours later that we learned they'd sent the Celtics a top-55 protected 2030 second-round pick to complete the transaction.
That heavily protected second-round pick didn't change our understanding of the Celtics/Hornets swap, just like the revelation that the Jazz had sent out $110K in the Ball deal didn't reshape our perception of the pros and cons of that move for Utah and Cleveland.
However, there were a couple belatedly reported trade details this week that did add new context to those relatively minor deals.
Celtics Notes: Vucevic, Tatum, Roster Openings, Pritchard
Nikola Vucevic only had one practice to get acclimated to the Celtics before making his debut with the team Friday night, but he had no trouble fitting into the new system, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Vucevic played 28 minutes — the most of any Boston center — finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds while helping to erase a 22-point deficit in a win over Miami.
“I thought he did a great job from the day he got to Boston right to tip off preparing,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Preparing for everything — our language, our coverages, what we needed to do. I thought he put himself in position to help us. And then I think credit to the guys for having a quick understanding about why we acquired him and how he can make us better, and how we can help to make him better.”
Vucevic has been connected to the Celtics in trade rumors in the past, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive, and he believes he can help the team as a floor-spacing big man. None of the centers that Boston has been using this season have the offensive capabilities that Vucevic brings.
“I look at it as it motivates me to try to get to a higher level,” he said of the trade from Chicago at Thursday’s deadline. “I am 35 but I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank and can still play at a high level. So having an opportunity to play in the playoffs and play for something big, I think it’s extra motivation for everybody. I’m just excited to have the opportunity. I never really had it in my career.”
There’s more from Boston:
- It’s possible Jayson Tatum could return at some point this season, but president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said that had “very little impact” on the moves he made at the deadline, per Jay King of The Athletic. Stevens targeted Vucevic to upgrade the frontcourt and was able to dump the salaries of Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Josh Minott to move below the tax deadline. “The best time for Jayson Tatum to come back is when he’s 110 percent healthy, he’s fully cleared by everybody that matters in that decision, and he’s got great peace of mind and he’s ready to do it. That’s it,” Stevens said. “That’s the objective, and that’s what we’re going to stick with.”
- The Celtics dropped down to 11 players after the deadline and have until February 19 to get back to the league minimum of 14. One of those openings was filled by promoting two-way big man Amari Williams, and his new contract includes a team option for next season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
- Stevens offered some insight into his plans for filling the other two slots, Robb adds in a separate story. The team will take a close look at its remaining two-way players, including John Tonje, who was acquired from Utah on Thursday.
- Payton Pritchard returned to a sixth-man role in the revamped lineup after starting in his first 48 appearances this season, King notes in another piece. “That benefits our team more,” Pritchard said. “It puts another ball-handler off the bench. At the end of the day, it’s about, do you play starter minutes, do you finish games? I don’t really care about starting. If you want me to start, I’ll start. If you want me to come off the bench, it doesn’t matter. So it’s just about, when you get in, what do you do with your minutes? So that’s what I was focused on today.”
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscription required) examines the financial impact of the Celtics’ moves and how they’ll affect the future.
NBA Announces Competitors For Slam Dunk, Shooting Stars All-Star Events
The Spurs‘ Carter Bryant, the Lakers‘ Jaxson Hayes, the Heat‘s Keshad Johnson and the Magic‘s Jase Richardson have been named the participants in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition, the league announced in a press release. It will be held next Saturday at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.
All four players will be making their event debuts. Richardson, a rookie guard, does have a familial connection with the contest. He is the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003).
The league also announced the teams for the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Four teams of three – each featuring two NBA players and one NBA legend – will compete in the event.
- Team All-Star: Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will be joined by three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton.
- Team Cameron: Three Duke University alums will team up, with Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson and Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel being joined by former 14-year NBA veteran Corey Maggette.
- Team Harper: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. pairs up with his sons, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Celtics swingman Ron Harper Jr.
- Team Knicks: Knicks teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up with Allan Houston, who made two NBA All-Star teams and is now a member of New York’s front office.
The Shooting Stars will feature a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round.
Teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order. The team with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the champion.
Celtics Trade Xavier Tillman, Cash To Hornets
10:29 pm: The trade is official, according to the Hornets, who announced that they sent Boston their own top-55 protected 2030 second-round pick to complete the deal.
3:23 pm: More than an hour after the trade deadline passed, word of another deal has trickled in. According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), the Celtics reached an agreement to send center Xavier Tillman Sr. and $3.5MM in cash to the Hornets.
It’s a minor move relative to its on-court impact. Tillman, 27, has played an extremely limited role in Boston this season, appearing in just 14 games and averaging 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds on 7.9 minutes per night. It’s possible the Hornets won’t keep him on the roster after finalizing their trade.
However, it was a crucial move for the Celtics from a financial perspective. After opening the 2025/26 league year operating above the second tax apron, Boston has now moved all the way below the luxury tax line.
The team made cost-cutting moves involving Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Georges Niang last summer, then moved Tillman, Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott, and Chris Boucher in deals this week to duck slightly out of tax territory. That’s a first step toward the team avoiding repeater penalties in future seasons.
Boston’s margins are very small — after its deadline deals and its promotion of Amari Williams to a standard contract are all official, the team will have 12 players on standard contracts and will be below the tax line by roughly $842K, tweets Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron.
The Celtics will likely take full advantage of the rule that permits teams to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time and up to 28 days in total. It also seems likely that Max Shulga, another two-way player, will be promoted sooner or later — he would only count for the rookie minimum for tax purposes since he was drafted by Boston, whereas any free agent signing would count as a two-year veteran’s minimum.
The $3.5MM Charlotte will receive in the deal will more than cover Tillman’s remaining salary, so it’s essentially free money for the Hornets, who remain comfortably below the tax line themselves and won’t have a problem taking on the big man’s $2.55MM expiring contract.
Celtics Trade Josh Minott To Nets
9:52 pm: The trade is official, according to announcements from the Celtics and the Nets. Brooklyn sent cash to Boston to complete the deal and has formally waived Cam Thomas to make room on the roster for Minott.
The Celtics received $110K from the Nets, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That was the minimum necessary to make the deal legal.
1:15 pm: The Celtics are trading Josh Minott to the Nets, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (Twitter link). According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), no additional players or draft picks are involved in the deal.
Boston signed Minott last summer to a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a second-year team option. The athletic 6’8″ wing appeared in 33 games for the Celtics this season, including 10 starts, and averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 44.2% from three.
While Minott played reasonably well in Boston, he has been out of the rotation since before Christmas, and moving off his contract will help the Celtics reduce their luxury tax bill or perhaps even get out of the tax entirely, though at least one more move would be necessary to accomplish that.
Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter) points to Xavier Tillman Sr. as a name to keep an eye on if the Celtics are aiming to duck the tax.
[UPDATE: The Celtics have indeed traded Tillman.]
As for the Nets, they’ll use their cap room to absorb Minott’s contract. It’s unclear whether they like him and will make him part of their plans going forward or if they’re being incentivized with cash to take on his remaining salary.
Celtics Trade Chris Boucher, Second-Round Pick To Jazz
3:38 pm: The trade is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
The Celtics acquired two-way player John Tonje from Utah in order to complete the deal, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. They also sent cash to the Jazz.
The Jazz intend to waive Boucher, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man should draw interest once he clears waivers.
12:08 pm: The Jazz are also acquiring Denver’s 2027 second-round pick from the Celtics in the deal, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). That’s the second-rounder Boston is receiving from Chicago in its Nikola Vucevic/Anfernee Simons swap.
11:29 am: The Jazz have agreed to acquire big man Chris Boucher in a trade with the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
It’ll be a cost-cutting move for Boston, who are making a series of moves to get out of luxury tax territory.
The Jazz will be able to acquire Boucher using the minimum salary exception, since he’s on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. Utah will need to open up a roster spot in order to complete the move and will likely do that by waiving recently acquired guard Lonzo Ball, who isn’t expected to stick with the team.
It’s unclear whether Boucher remains with the Jazz either. If Utah is being incentivized to take on his expiring contract, the club could move on from him and eat the rest of his guaranteed salary to reopen its 15th roster spot.
Boucher, 33, spent seven seasons as a role player in Toronto before joining the Celtics as a free agent last summer. He was expected to help fill the hole in Boston’s frontcourt created by a series of offseason departures, but he struggled to crack the rotation, falling behind Neemias Queta and Luka Garza on the depth chart.
Boucher made just nine appearances for the Celtics, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per night. Entering the season, his career averages were 8.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .488/.339/.779 shooting line.
Celtics Promote Rookie Amari Williams To 15-Man Roster
2:00 pm: Williams’ new deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
1:01 pm: The Celtics are promoting rookie two-way player Amari Williams, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. Williams has agreed to a two-year, $2.7MM standard contract.
It’s uncertain if Williams is getting quite that much, as a two-year, minimum-salary contract for a rookie as of today would be worth $2.64MM, though it’s possible the Celtics will give him slightly more using the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Williams was selected with the No. 46 overall pick last June. He was technically drafted by the Magic, who forwarded him to Boston in a draft-night deal.
The 6’11” big man has seen action in 13 games, including two starts, averaging 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes. He’s spent a majority of his rookie campaign with the G League’s Maine Celtics, where he’s averaged 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game while appearing in 21 contests.
Boston dealt Chris Boucher to the Jazz on Thursday, opening up a spot for another frontcourt player to move up the depth chart.
Celtics, Bulls Swap Anfernee Simons, Nikola Vucevic
February 5: The trade is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
February 3: The Celtics and Bulls have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Anfernee Simons to Chicago and center Nikola Vucevic to Boston, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Both teams will also acquire a second-round pick in the deal, Charania adds. The Celtics will receive Denver’s 2027 second-round selection in the trade, while Chicago will get the “most favorable” of four teams’ 2026 second-rounders, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. That pick headed to the Bulls will likely be New Orleans’ 2026 second-rounder.
A deal along these lines had long been considered a possibility for the Celtics, whose frontcourt depth took a significant blow last offseason when they traded away Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency.
Simons’ $27.7MM expiring contract was also viewed as an obvious trade chip for a team that made cost-cutting moves to get below the second apron and might be looking to further reduce its luxury tax bill — or to get out of the tax altogether.
Over the course of the season, however, Simons emerged as a key part of Boston’s rotation off the bench, averaging 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while knocking down 39.5% of his three-pointers and 88.9% of his free throws. And with the 31-18 Celtics vying for a top-two seed in the East, ducking the tax no longer seemed like a top priority for the team.
Still, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens ultimately determined that it made sense for Boston to sacrifice some backcourt depth for another rotation player up front while saving some money and generating some additional roster flexibility in the process.
Vucevic, 35, is a floor-stretching big man who continues to produce strong offensive numbers, including 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season, along with a 37.6% mark on three-pointers. He’s on an expiring $21.5MM contract, so the move will reduce the Celtics’ projected tax penalty by more than $22MM, from $39.5MM to $17MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The club will also move below the first tax apron as a result of the deal.
Boston has a $22.5MM traded player exception from last summer’s Porzingis deal, so Vucevic could be slotted into that TPE, allowing the team to create a new exception equivalent to Simons’ outgoing salary ($27.8MM). The Celtics would have up to one year to use that exception.
As for the Bulls’ perspective, it remains to be seen whether Simons is part of their plans going forward or if the move is more about the second-round pick they’re adding. Either way, something will have to give in Chicago’s backcourt, where Simons joins a group that also includes Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones, as well as Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley, who are joining the Bulls as part of a three-team deal involving Detroit and Minnesota.
While Conley looks like a potential buyout candidate, the Bulls’ additions of Ivey and Simons suggest that at least one (and perhaps more than one) of White, Dosunmu, or Jones will be on the move this week.
The trade sending out Vucevic represents something of the end of an era in Chicago. Arturas Karnisovas‘ first major trade as the team’s executive VP of basketball operations at the 2021 deadline saw him send out Wendell Carter Jr. and multiple future first-round picks (including one that became Franz Wagner) to land the Montenegrin center. Vucevic averaged 18.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .499/.349/.815 shooting in 378 regular season games as a Bull.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported last week that the Bulls inquired earlier in the season on a swap of Vucevic for Simons and a first-round pick. While Boston wasn’t interested in that offer, the Celtics eventually moved forward on the proposed framework after Chicago lowered its draft-pick asking price.
Domantas Sabonis Likely To Remain With Kings Through Deadline
1:42 pm: The Kings view their Sabonis talks with Toronto as having “flat-lined,” according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. With the caveat that there’s still 24 hours for the situation to evolve, Amick says it now appears highly likely that the big man will remain in Sacramento through the trade deadline.
10:53 am: Talks between the Raptors and Kings have paused for now, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link), who says Toronto has concerns about how much draft capital it would have to give up to move off of Poeltl’s contract.
10:02 am: The Raptors are known to have interest in Kings center Domantas Sabonis, but it’s been hard to get a feel for just how serious the talks between the two teams are, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who gets the sense that some of the Sabonis trade chatter has been driven by the three-time All-Star’s representatives, who would like to get their client off a rebuilding roster.
While Grange was still hearing from people close to the Kings on Tuesday that Sacramento would be open to making a trade centered around Sabonis and Raptors forward RJ Barrett, he writes that the connection between Barrett and Kings general manager Scott Perry – who drafted the forward as a member of the Knicks’ front office – has been “overblown.”
There also appear to be at least two obstacles in the way of a trade sending Sabonis to Toronto.
One, Chris Haynes said during an NBA TV appearance (Twitter video link), is a gap between the draft compensation the Kings are seeking as part of the return (a first-round pick) and what the Raptors are willing to offer in their package (second-rounders).
The other complication is that the Raptors would likely want to send out center Jakob Poeltl if they’re going to acquire a starting center who has an even more lucrative long-term contract, but Poeltl’s value is extremely limited due to the $100MM+ left on his deal, as well as his health — he has been dealing with back issues all season long.
The Kings reportedly have zero interest in acquiring Poeltl in a Sabonis deal, so the Raptors would have to find a third team willing to take him on and send that team sweeteners (likely draft assets) separate from what Sacramento would want for Sabonis.
“He’s a really hard guy to trade right now,” one source told Grange. “He’s hurt and he’s locked in for five years.”
According to Grange, the Celtics have been fans of Poeltl in the past, and the Pacers – who are searching for a long-term answer at center – are another team he has heard connected to Poeltl.
However, Boston just made a move for another center, agreeing to send Anfernee Simons to Chicago in a deal for Nikola Vucevic, and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) hears that Indiana hasn’t registered any interest in Poeltl.
The Grizzlies, with their newfound cap flexibility as a result of Tuesday’s Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, are considered one possible landing spot for Poeltl, but they’d likely need to be well compensated to take on his contract, especially given his current health situation.
“There’s nothing structural,” a source said of Poeltl’s back injury, per Grange. “There’s no nerve issue, it’s just a confusing injury.”
Sam Amick of The Athletic suggested earlier this week that it wouldn’t be a surprise if nothing happens with Sabonis this week and the Raptors and Kings renew their conversations in the offseason. Grange also thinks the Sabonis rumors “could all add up to nothing,” writing that Toronto may be better off hoping Poeltl gets healthy and can rebuild his value, either as a trade chip or the Raptors’ center of the future.
And-Ones: Ott, Lee, No. 1 Pick, Graham, Dort
The Suns’ Jordan Ott and Hornets’ Charles Lee have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the league (Twitter links). Phoenix went 11-5 last month, while Charlotte posted an 11-6 record.
David Adelman (Nuggets), Chris Finch (Timberwolves) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) were also nominated from the Eastern Conference.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa loom as the projected top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and a dozen chose Peterson as the top pick, while Dybantsa garnered the other eight votes. With BYU visiting Kansas this past Saturday, those two stars put on a display to solidify their resumes. Dybantsa had 17 points and Peterson scored 18 in the Jayhawks’ victory. At least 17 NBA teams had reps at the contest. However, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman claims there’s another legitimate candidate for the top pick (Twitter link). He says multiple front office executives and scouts have Duke’s Cameron Boozer atop their draft boards.
- Former NBA guard Devonte’ Graham and Crvena Zvevda have severed ties. After several consecutive games without playing, Graham agreed to a termination of his contract, according to Eurohoops.net. Graham only played seven EuroLeague games, averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11.2 minutes per contest. Graham, who signed with the Serbian club in August, appeared in 336 regular season NBA games, making 171 starts and posting career averages of 11.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 4.3 APG.
- Thunder defensive ace Luguentz Dort has hired Klutch Sports as his representative, the agency tweets. Oklahoma City holds an $18.2MM club option on his contract for next season.