The New York Knicks made significant progress to catch up to the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference on February 8 when they acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks for Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono, and two second-round picks. The Boston Celtics may remain the top seed in the conference until the trade deadline.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer thinks that the Knicks are among the big winners of the day because of Leon Rose’s maneuvering at the deadline.
O’Connor said, “The Knicks are major winners,” and then stated, “More scoring was needed, and Bogdanovic and Burks fit in well next to the engines, Randle and Brunson. Both have the potential to heat up. Both are capable of creating when necessary to give Brunson a break.”It’s insane how complex New York is today.”
The Boston Celtics make minor transactions to counteract the Knicks, Sixers, Raptors, and Nets’ larger moves.
With their trades for Xavier Tillman on February 7 and Jaden Springer from the Philadelphia 76ers only hours before the 3 p.m. deadline on February 8, Boston could have been the team in the Atlantic Division with the least amount of commotion at the deadline.
It appears that New York had the biggest impact, but the other clubs in the division weren’t idle either.
Sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers, is expected to be an even more potent version of former Sixers spot-up shooter Danny Green. The Toronto Raptors dealt Dennis Schroder to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, who has since been released, and later acquired Kelly Olynyk, a lottery choice from the Danny Ainge era.
Even though the Celtics didn’t want to create a lot of news, adding Tillman and Springer—two defensive-minded guys who may be rotation players—fortifies an already talented offensive group and provides them with more emergency alternatives than they had before the deadline.
Even though Stevens was sly, Rose and company definitely prevailed in the end.
NBC Sports While arguing that the Boston Celtics should go all in for Banner 18 in 2023–2024, Boston’s Chris Forsberg often brought up Alex Caruso as a trade deadline target. However, he also strangely floated Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija at the conclusion of his column.”
“Should Stevens worry about giving up what is probably going to be the 30th selection in the 2024 draft? The receiving team’s valuation of the pick may be the only issue, as it may be slightly higher than that of another contender,” Forsberg stated before stating, “Yes, trading a pick like 2027 is riskier, but so is not doing everything possible to win a title when you feel this tantalizingly close to a title.”
“If we win this one, it will make all subsequent roster selections much simpler. Sure, we’ll write avaricious tales about our hunt for numerous Larry O’Briens, but even once we find one, nobody will be worrying about our selections. Call the Bulls regarding Caruso, then. Speak with the Wizards regarding Deni Avdija; although he has a poison pill, his lovely descending structure would be perfect for lineups down the road. The brave are favored by fortune.”
The Boston Celtics would benefit greatly from having Deni Avdija.
Whoah. Coming from Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, Avdija was a lottery choice that many were hoping would at least be as good as Franz Wagner, who is currently with the Orlando Magic. Avdija’s tale hasn’t quite worked out that way thus far, but this season, the Israeli shooter is finally developing as a 3-point shooter (39%).
Nevertheless, the Celtics are not searching for a game-changer at the deadline, and investing a large sum of money in a player whose salary is going to increase may cost them Derrick White or Jrue Holiday this offseason.
The very aggressive bid for Banner 18 is not worth that. The goal for Boston should be to add support around the core six players—Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Holiday, White, and Al Horford—while also trying to hold onto Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. It should be impossible for the Cs to incorporate some of these components as Avdija pushes them to.
