BOSTON, MA – MAY 25: Avery Bradley
The Celtics have traded guard Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Marcus Morris. The move helps clear cap space for the Gordon Hayward max deal to Boston.
The Boston Celtics made a tough move parting ways with defensive stopper Avery Bradley. Boston had a difficult choice to make, needing to trade away either Bradley, Marcus Smart, or Jae Crowder to make room for Gordon Hayward. The Celtics finally found a home for one of those players as they have traded Bradley to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Marcus Morris.
Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news:
The move for Boston will clear $8.8 million of Bradley’s salary for the Hayward signing. Instead, they will now add $5 million of Morris’ salary to clear $3.8 million in cap space. According to Spotrac, the Celtics were $1.8 over the cap before the trade. For Boston, while trading Bradley is a tough loss, this also now allows them to bring Guerschon Yabusele from overseas. Yabusele was selected No. 16 in the 2016 NBA Draft.
On the surface, the trade looks pretty fair for both sides. Boston really needed a big man next to Al Horford and Marcus Morris gives them just that. He averaged 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game a year ago. His contract is also very reasonable as his deal goes for through 2018-2019. For the Celtics, the real motivation for the trade was simple, making room for Gordon Hayward.
The trade for the Pistons may signal the end for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. With a potential large offer sheet looming, the Pistons found a really good replacement in Bradley. The former Boston guard is revered as one of the best defensive players in the entire NBA. With Detroit already over the cap, getting a player like Bradley is a win.