For the majority of the 2023-24 season, the boston celtics have been the best team in the nba. After the team added more stars (kristaps porzingis, jrue holiday), this is a sign of how well-put together the entire roster is. Jayson tatum and his crew have the best chance to win their 18th championship, according to their current roster. The celtics currently have not only the league’s best record, but also the league’s best net rating. They are currently outscoring their opponents by 10.3 points per 100 possessions, making the celtics game a blunder.
They didn’t even have to make any needle-moving acquisitions at the trade deadline to cement themselves as contenders, as every team in the association (other than the reigning champion denver nuggets) is looking up at them. Despite the fact that the celtics did not make a trade that would set the franchise back in any way, one move stands out as something that may not have been the most beneficial boston could have done. The celtics made the biggest mistake at the 2024 nba trade deadline: using lamar stevens to match salary in the xavier tillman sr. trade. make no mistake: the celtics’ decision to trade away lamar stevens in the xavier tillman sr. trade is not an outrageous mistake at all.
Stevens hasn’t played too many minutes for the celtics, and adding tillman would make perfect sense for a team that is gearing up for the playoffs. But would boston have traded away someone else in stevens’ place? Stevens was acquired by the celtics in the offseason after being waived by the san antonio spurs, and the 26-year-old forward immediately endeared himself to the team’s top brass. Stevens was dubbed a “key guy” to his squad by jayson tatum in the aftermath of the trade, describing him as a “key guy” to their squad due to his “personality and how hard he worked.”
Tatum even said that stevens’ presence in the locker room is missing. These are the types of players that can be very helpful to a team with competing goals. It’s a must to maintain the locker room vibes. If lamar stevens was truly loved by tatum, he was a vital member of the team, even though he barely contributed anything on the court.
