Spurs, Celtics Complete Trade Involving Noah Vonleh

The San Antonio Spurs are acquiring Noah Vonleh in a trade from the Boston Celtics.

The midseason NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 9, but the first activity of the season has already transpired. 

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Celtics are trading Noah Vonleh and cash consideration to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs hold the most cap space in the NBA and that makes them an ideal trade suitor for teams attempting to get underneath luxury tax thresholds. The Celtics are likely motivated by doing precisely that by shedding Vonleh's salary. 

According to Spotrac's Keith Smith, the Celtics will save nearly $7 million in taxable salary and penalties by executing this trade.

Boston will save roughly $7 million in taxes (taxable salary + penalties) by moving Noah Vonleh to San Antonio.

Celtics were at roughly $65M for a total tax bill pre-trade. Now at roughly $58M for a total tax bill.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 5, 2023

By waiving Gorgui Dieng, the Spurs will take a dead cap hit of $1,836,090 by waiving him. Vonleh signed just a one-year deal with the Celtics in the offseason, requiring no long-term commitment from the Spurs when taking on his deal. 

Vonley, 27, still has some upside given his mobility at 6-foot-10. He hasn't found a consistent home in the NBA since being selected No. 9 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. He appeared in just 23 games with the Celtics this season. 

The pathway for Vonleh to earn consistent playing with the Spurs is bleak. The focus at the four spot is on the ongoing development of No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan. Dieng appeared in only 13 games and averages 11.6 minutes per game in those appearances.

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