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The NBA trade deadline has now passed, and while the Boston Celtics succeeded in adding another big man to their rotation, he may not have been their first choice.
According to a February 9 report by Masslive’s Brian Robb, the Celtics attempted to acquire Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs before he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors.
Boston’s failed trade package looked like this:
Celtics get: Jakob Poeltl
Spurs get: Payton Pritchard, Danilo Gallinari, and multiple future second-round draft picks
“League sources tell MassLive that Boston offered Payton Pritchard, Danilo Gallinari, and multiple future second-round picks for the big man ahead of Thursday’s deal. Ultimately, the Spurs elected to go with the Raptors’ offer which included a top-6 protected first-round pick for 2024, two future second-round picks, and center Khem Birch,” Robb reported.
Brad Stevens eventually pivoted to acquire Mike Muscala from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a February 9 deal that saw Justin Jackson and future second-round picks head to the Western Conference team.
Celtics Acquire Mike Muscala
On February 9, The Atheltic’s Shams Charania reported that Boston was sending Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to the Thunder in return for Muscala – who has a history of playing alongside Al Horford.
“Boston is sending Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to OKC for Mike Muscala, sources said,” Charania tweeted.
Muscala, 31, has played 43 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 39.4% from deep. Joe Mazzulla will now be hoping that the stretch-five will seamlessly slip into Bosotn’s offensive and defensive system and give the team another dimension when going to their bench unit.
Payton Pritchard Remains In Boston
Despite rumors predicting the contrary, Payton Pritchard is still on the Celtics roster, and will now need to wait until the summer if he truly wishes to find a new team that can provide him a bigger role – something which he discussed during a guest appearance on the Point Forward podcast.
“I definitely do. It’s obviously what I work for. I think that’s what Brad and them know, too. We’ve had that discussion but — a bigger role. I want to be part of a winning culture but I want to also help that, be a really big piece of that. I’m not saying it’s the best player on the team but I don’t know what my future holds unless I can take that next step. I don’t know what it is in five or 10 years but I just want to look back and know that I put my best foot forward. I put all the work in so whatever happens I can live with it as long as I did it my way. That’s the most important thing for me,” Pritchard said.