Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. The Celtics went for those in bulk at the trade deadline.
While some teams (especially ones from Cleveland) went absolutely bonkers ahead of Thursday’s deadline, the Celtics stood pat for the third consecutive year. That makes the 2015 trade deadline, when they acquired Isaiah Thomas, the last time they made any real noise at the deadline. Thomas ended up being one of the players shipped out by Cleveland Thursday.
The Celtics’ inactivity Thursday means that Marcus Smart, who was rumored to have been on the block, will stay with the team through the end of his contract.
The team is still expected to be a player in free agency when players are bought out of their deals down the stretch.