The Boston Celtics have been looking to shore up their big man rotation all season long after entering the year relatively short handed at the position. They managed to do just that on NBA Trade Deadline day, pulling off a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder that will see them acquire shooting big man Mike Muscala to come in and play behind Robert Williams III and Al Horford.
Boston is sending Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to OKC for Mike Muscala, sources said. https://t.co/RvdgZJE8n8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 9, 2023
With Williams struggling to stay fully healthy and Horford needing his minutes limited to preserve him for the playoffs, the Celtics had been looking to pick up a center to come play behind these two guys for much of the season. Luke Kornet and Blake Griffin have been serviceable, but they finally got their guy in Muscala it appears.
Muscala has been having an OK season coming off the bench for the Thunder (6.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 43.8 FG%, 39.4 3P%) and will give the Celtics exactly what they need off the bench. For starters, he's a big who can take over for Kornet behind Williams and Horford. And second, he can shoot the three ball, which is what the C's needed. Muscala's 39.4 three point percentage isn't bad, but he was even better last season when he shot a career-high 42.9 percent from behind the arc.
For Boston, this was their biggest need, and they did a good job picking up a cheap big man who can give them precisely what they are looking for throughout the rest of the season. Oklahoma City doesn't really need Muscala, and will pick up some draft assets and a young player with potential in Justin Jackson. Seems like a good piece of business on deadline day, and it will be interesting to see whether or not either of these teams make another deal or two before the deadline strikes.
Follow Us
Subscribe