The Celtics joined in on the Magic's fire-sale today, acquiring Evan Fournier for two second-round picks. The Celtics are continuing to make a playoff push while the Magic are burning things down and revving up the tank engine. There is an interesting amount to breakdown here from both team's points of view.
The Celtics Side
The Celtics have been a complete disappointment so far this season. They are currently the 8th seed in the East with a 21-23 record. They have a slightly positive net rating and have had to contend with bad opponent shooting luck, but there have been some obvious weak points. Among these weaknesses, the fact that the Celtics have very few players comfortable with the ball in their hands and very little depth at the guard or wing spots. Fournier is the type of player perfect to help solve this.
Evan Fournier is a really underrated player in the league and he does a lot of things well. Offensively, Fournier is a solid shooter and playmaker and he'll fit really well next to other stars. The Celtics desperately need someone who can capably run a backside pick and roll and Fournier does that well too. Last year, Fournier had 14.8 Offensive Wins Shares and that proficiency will complement the Celtics stars well. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were well-deserved All-Stars this season and the team has failed them by not working around their strengths.
To make this deal, the Celtics had to use a portion of the trade exception created in the Gordon Hayward deal. Trade exceptions allow for deals to be made under the hard cap and take percentages off of the tax. The Celtics have to use it before the start of the next league year so this trade makes a lot of sense for them.
The Magic Side
This is just one of the many trades the Magic have made today as they are tearing everything down. The Magic are 15-29 and are 14th in the East. They look to be even worse as time goes on after their multitude of moves at the deadline. Fournier is just one of their three core members to be dealt with, along with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon.
Fournier was expected to have more value than two second-round picks. His contract is expiring and valued at a little over $17 million, making it very tradeable. He has value to playoff teams because he is a good offensive player and far from a liability defensively. Fournier has proven to be a consistent contributor to the Magic's playoff success over the past couple of seasons and moving on from him for a package like this is emblematic of the Magic's plan to tear down and focus on the future.
The Grades
The Boston Celtics: A
It is a very simple trade for the Celtics, but one that makes a ton of sense on multiple fronts. It fills a few on-court needs for the Celtics. The Celtics are struggling right now but Fournier will help them a lot. He can be a secondary creator and potentially a member of the closing five in the playoffs. The move also works for the Celtics cap machinations and makes the Boston books look good for the foreseeable future. For only two second-round picks, this is a pretty solid move.
The Orlando Magic: D
This was the worst move of all the Magic's dealings today. Orlando were only able to get two mediocre second round picks for a solid-starting wing. This move wouldn't seem as horrible if not for the fact that the Magic likely could have got a first if they had traded Fournier in the offseason.
In the end, this trade helps both things push towards what they actually want to do. The Magic get to tank for a higher draft pick while the Celtics get a solid contributor for this year. The value for Fournier seemed low and the Magic certainly should have traded him earlier when his value was higher.
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