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The 2025 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and for the most part, the Boston Celtics stood pat. That certainly wasn't true for the rest of the league, as a plethora of big blockbuster trades were made. And while the C's weren't directly involved in those deals, the ever-changing makeup of the league could have a big impact on them.
Boston's follow up to their 2024 NBA Finals victory has been a bit of a letdown to this point. They are by no means a bad team, but with a 36-16 record, they are already just two losses away from matching their total of 18 last season. Not only are they struggling to consistently win games, but they are typically having to grind out wins against their opponents even when they are adding a tally to the column on the left.
Given how dominant the Celtics were last year, though, they have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to believing they can take things to another level once the playoffs roll around. Speaking of the playoffs, things look much different for Boston than they did last week, so let's check out three takeaways for the C's in regards to the trade deadline.
Celtics path to the 2025 NBA Finals got easier … kind of
The biggest deal before the trade deadline was undoubtedly the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis blockbuster between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. There were several other big names on the move, though, such as Jimmy Butler, De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram were on move.
On the surface, none of these trades really impact the Celtics directly. However, a big picture outlook shows that most of the notable players moved before the deadline are either heading to the Western Conference or staying there. Brandon Ingram is probably the biggest name joining the East, but the Toronto Raptors are not a threat to Boston right now.
The most consequential moves for the C's saw the Milwaukee Bucks acquire Kyle Kuzma and the Cleveland Cavaliers add De'Andre Hunter. The addition of Hunter certainly makes Cleveland more dangerous, and Kuzma certainly has the potential to be an impact addition for Milwaukee. However, with less talent in the East, and the grim reaper, Butler, heading out West, things have become easier for the Celtics.
Celtics victory in Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis trade is even more clear
Back in June of 2023, the Celtics pulled off a stunning trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards that saw them send Marcus Smart packing and welcome Kristaps Porzingis to town. In addition to adding Porzingis, Boston gave up Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and the 35th overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft, while getting a pair of first-round picks from the Grizzlies.
At the time, this deal looked like a big win for the C's. Sure, there were some injury concerns surrounding Porzingis, but at his best, he's an upgrade over Smart, and they got a pair of first-round picks too. As we know now, they got the best player in the deal, and more draft capital than Memphis. Oh, and Porzingis helped them win a title last season.
As if this deal wasn't already a big enough win, the Grizzlies dumped Smart to the Washington Wizards right before the deadline struck, attaching another first-round pick with him just to get the Wizards to take him off their hands. Brad Stevens has made several shrewd moves since taking over as President of Basketball Operations, but this is pretty clearly the best of the bunch in the wake of Memphis' latest move.
Celtics lack of action was correct path, even amid struggles
As for this trade deadline, the only move Boston made involved sending Jaden Springer and a second-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a second-round pick. It seemed like the Rockets would probably win this deal since it was really just a salary dump that leads to the Celtics saving themselves some money, but Houston waived Springer on Thursday, so this ended up being a pretty inconsequential deal for them too.
After the deadline passed, the C's filled one of their vacant roster spots by signing veteran three-and-d forward Torrey Craig. In nine games with the Chicago Bulls this season, Craig averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while hitting 42.9% of his threes. If he can slot into the rotation and play solid defense while hitting threes at a high clip, Boston will get their money's worth.
It wasn't an explosive trade deadline, and while the team's struggles to this point could have caused some folks to be concerned and force a trade, this squad has earned the right to figure things out and right this ship. Time will tell whether or not they have enough gas left in the tank to try to win their second straight title, but when this Celtics squad plays up to their potential, there isn't a better team in the league.
