Where Do Celtics Stand in Eastern Conference Following Trade Deadline?

Is Boston still a title favorite after one of the most active deadline weeks ever?

Jan 25, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) look for a rebound against Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Are the reigning champion Boston Celtics still a title favorite after practically sitting out one of the most active deadline weeks ever?

The capped-out Celtics' only trade this week was their decision to flip intriguing young defense-first guard Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets for some luxury tax relief. That deal, reported on Wednesday, was finally completed on Thursday.

The Jaden Springer trade is complete, per PR. pic.twitter.com/K5GS8FYows

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) February 6, 2025

More Celtics: Boston Sends Jaden Springer to Rockets in Trade for Draft Compensation

Still, the Celtics didn't sit out the day entirely. Boston may not have made another trade on Thursday, but the 36-16 club did make a move, opting to sign well-traveled 34-year-old small forward Torrey Craig. The 6-foot-7 wing had been cut earlier this week by the Chicago Bulls.

Having been squeezed out of head coach Billy Donovan's rotation, Craig had played just nine games this season. Still, he brings a career 35.5 percent 3-point percentage on 2.6 triple tries a night (in limited minutes) and solid defense to the table for Boston.

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So where do these minor moves leave Boston in the Eastern Conference — and, indeed, the NBA at large — after the trade deadline?

For our money, they're still pretty darn close to the top of the heap.

Boston remains one of the best two-way clubs in the entire NBA. The team boasts a pair of All-Stars in their absolute primes. Six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum appears to somehow have taken a leap this year and looks more comfortable offensively in late-game situations. Four-time All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown has bulked up, which has impeded his movement a bit, but he's still a solid high-usage scorer and multifaceted defender.

Center Kristaps Porzingis missed the start of the year while recovering from a summer surgery, but has looked like the two-way unicorn force, in the paint and from the 3-point line, that made him such an enticing trade get for Boston in the summer of 2023.

All-Defensive Team guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White looked like they ran out of gas early in the year, which makes sense given that they barely got a break between seasons thanks to a Finals run and an Olympic tilt (alongside Tatum) taking up much of their summer slates. White has recently rounded into form, though Holiday may have lost a half-step defensively.

Reserve guard Payton Pritchard has looked better than ever, and has become the odds-on favorite to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors. Backup big man Al Horford, a five-time All-Star during his prime with Boston and the Atlanta Hawks, has been a solid two-way threat when healthy. Eighth man forward Sam Hauser is, like Pritchard, a solid shooting threat for the league's most prolific 3-point shooting squad.

Boston boasts the fourth-best offensive rating in the league (119.4) and the fifth-best defensive rating (110.5). The team's only vulnerabilities, really, are a slight overreliance on 3-point shooting — which by its very nature can be a bit streaky — and its injury-prone center rotation, led by Porzingis and Horford.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston's closest competition, made a big swing at the deadline, trading for versatile forward De'Andre Hunter. If healthy, Hunter represents a bench upgrade for the East's No. 1 seed. The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers made minor deals, while the Milwaukee Bucks arguably got worse by ditching 3-and-D small forward Khris Middleton for ex-Washington Wizards combo forward Kyle Kuzma, who has been having a miserable shooting season for the league's worst team by record. The Miami Heat ditched their embattled superstar, frequent Celtics stopper Jimmy Butler, to the Western Conference.

All told, Boston and Cleveland remain the class of the conference, and among the best squads in the league. Fresh off adding five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic and center Mark Williams, the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team in the Western Conference that seems to have really vaulted itself into the contender conversation. The Oklahoma City Thunder may remain the West's best, however. The 32-18 Houston Rockets and 35-16 Memphis Grizzlies hope to be in that deep-playoff conversation, too, but are largely unproven in the postseason and lack the All-NBA First Team talent anchoring L.A. (Doncic) and Oklahoma City (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).

Shockingly, the 32-19 Denver Nuggets didn't look to add any depth at the deadline. They do boast an All-NBA First Team superstar in center Nikola Jokic, and could certainly make a run back to the NBA Finals. But they don't have Boston's bench help anymore, after letting theirs walk out of the door in free agency across successive summers, without adequate replacements. Yes, their top six is strong. But the drop-off after that is severe.

The Dallas Mavericks at least think they're still a contender after adding Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and Caleb Martin and offloading Doncic. The Golden State Warriors did add Butler, but they remain fairly small up front after failing to acquire Bulls center Nikola Vucevic at the deadline.

Both of the Celtics' two All-Stars were selected by "Inside The NBA" TNT personality Shaquille O'Neal to make his All-Star team next weekend, per Taylor Snow of Celtics.com.

Thank you @SHAQ for pairing up Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the All-Star Game 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8RjXms1Qrs

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) February 7, 2025

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