Getty Justin Jackson #43, Boston Celtics
On January 5, the Boston Celtics made their first in-season roster change of the season when they traded Noah Vonleh to the San Antonio Spurs, as Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype explained why they opted to trade him instead of waiving his nonguaranteed money, then stated that they may do something like that with Justin Jackson.
“Noah Vonleh would’ve counted as $1.2M in dead money for the Celtics if waived on Saturday. Instead of ~$3.5M in payroll and luxury tax savings from cutting him, they save $9M by trading him.
“I could see them doing a similar move with Justin Jackson,” Gozlan tweeted.
Jackson, who was selected 15th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2017 NBA Draft, has played in 16 games for the Celtics this season, where he has averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists while shooting 22.2 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three.
Whether they waive Jackson or trade him as they did with Vonleh, getting rid of him would leave the Celtics with two open roster spots. The Celtics may potentially fill those spots either by signing someone with their $3.23 million Disabled Player Exception or using one of their trade exceptions.
Insider Previews Celtics NBA Trade Deadline Approach
In a December 31 Boston Globe story, Adam Himmelsbach wrote 11 things that Celtics fans should watch for in 2023. At no. 4, Himmelsbach talked about how the Celtics could approach the NBA Trade Deadline.
Himmelsbach did not see how the Celtics will make a trade that could make them better than they are, and he does not see them trading third-year guard Payton Pritchard.
“It’s hard to envision a trade the Celtics could make that would truly upgrade their rotation,” Himmelsbach said. “Also, they traded their 2023 first-round pick in the Malcolm Brogdon deal. There’s been some suggestion that the team should consider dealing Payton Pritchard, a valuable piece late last season who has fallen back out of the rotation. But Pritchard is just 24, and Boston is just one injury away from needing him. For the Celtics, the biggest part of deadline day will be seeing if fellow contenders meaningfully fortify their rosters.”
There are several teams who are almost neck-and-neck with the Celtics in the standings right now, including the Brooklyn Nets (25-13), Milwaukee Bucks (25-13), and Cleveland Cavaliers (25-14). None of those teams have made in-season trades yet, but if they do, that could alter how the Celtics approach the trade deadline.
Celtics May ‘Aggressively’ Seek Wing Options
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston said that, in light of Sam Hauser’s struggles over the past month, the Celtics may need to look at other wings to acquire in case Hauser’s unable to improve on either side of the floor.
“Hauser needs to find his offensive mojo in January and tighten up his defense, or it might force Stevens to more aggressively explore wing options whom the team can trust more in potential playoff minutes,” Forsberg said.
Trading away Vonleh and potentially doing the same with Jackson gives the Celtics the option to look at other wings both on the trade and free agency market.