Forsberg: Breaking down winners, losers from Celtics' deals

Did the Boston Celtics get better with their trade deadline activity?

The jury will be out on that for a bit as the price of acquiring Evan Fournier from the Orlando Magic came with the bitter price tag of sending out Daniel Theis as the team made corresponding moves to stay below the luxury tax.

But here’s some gut feelings on winners and losers inside the Celtics organization based on Thursday’s wheeling and dealing: 

Winner: Robert Williams

Boston’s desire to duck the tax forced the team to deal Theis to Chicago in a move strictly to cut salary. A three-team trade with the Bulls and Wizards brought back a couple of young big men in Mo Wagner and Luke Kornet, but Boston essentially acknowledged it wasn’t going to be able to pay Theis when he hits free agency this summer and passed the playing-time torch to third-year center Robert Williams.

Yes, it’s Time Lord’s time. The 23-year-old will elevate to a starting role -- at least until Tristan Thompson is out of health and safety protocols -- and Williams’ already burgeoning role will get a steroid-injection moving forward.

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Over the past 12 games, Williams is averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 2.4 assists over 21.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting 74.7 percent from the floor in that span and his energy has been infectious at times.

The Celtics haven’t always played their best basketball in Williams’ minutes but his potential is obvious. He’s the big man of the future and the Celtics are (finally) going all in on his development.

Loser: Kemba Walker

Boston’s point guard had undeniable chemistry with Daniel Theis, especially in the pick-and-roll, and it has to be tough for Walker to see the German big man sent out because of tax complications. The NBA’s data shows that the Celtics have an offensive rating of 116.3 in the 507 minutes that Walker and Theis shared the court this season. That number plummeted to 99.8 in the 291 minutes that Walker was on the floor without Theis.

More noticeable, Boston’s net rating goes from plus-5.6 during the Walker/Theis minutes, to minus-9.1 when Walker was on the court without him.

Walker also saw one of his best friends on the team shipped out in the same deal in Javonte Green. Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Green were often inseparable inside the bubble.

Winner: Marcus Smart

Despite all the trade rumors that swirled about Smart, it doesn’t appear the Celtics ever gave great consideration to actually moving him. If they did, maybe they could have muscled into conversations about players like Harrison Barnes or Aaron Gordon. Instead, the team likely realized Smart's value to the defense and the overall culture of the team were too great to move for a power forward that might not have changed the trajectory of the season.

Loser: Aaron Nesmith, Romeo Langford

While Boston still isn’t overflowing with wing depth, the addition of Fournier is going to bite heavily into available minutes on the perimeter. Between Walker, Smart, Tatum, Fournier, and Jaylen Brown, there’s not going to be a lot of minutes available and even rookie Payton Pritchard is going to get a healthy chunk of point guard minutes whenever Walker sits on the second night of back-to-backs.

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So while Boston went all in on the development of Williams, it could be tougher for Nesmith and Langford to get the sort of consistent time that might accelerate their own progress.

Winner: Evan Fournier

While his usage rate has to come down a little bit, Fournier steps onto a bigger stage with a couple months to audition for all the deep-pocketed suitors that Ainge previously suggested might deter him from using the TPE on an impending free agent.

Fournier should get a whole bunch of good looks playing alongside Tatum and Brown, and he’ll be a focal point with Boston’s second unit that has desperately needed a scorer. 

He’s in a no-lose situation with a chance to (likely) showcase his talents on the playoff stage and show teams why he deserves another healthy contract this summer.

Winner: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum

As minutes have climbed high for Boston’s All-Star tandem this season, particularly as Tatum battles the lingering effects of COVID and Brown deals with knee tendonitis, the arrival of Fournier could relieve some offensive stress and potentially reel minutes in.

Of course, that would assume the Celtics more consistently play to a level that allows Brown and Tatum to take longer breaks or even rest in fourth quarters. That has rarely happened this season.

Loser: Boston's draft stash

The Celtics essentially used four second-round picks to acquire and utilize the Hayward TPE. Two went to Charlotte in the original Hayward deal, then two more went to Orlando in the Fournier package. Boston was also unable to add any draft capital in moving Theis despite his impending free-agent status. One positive: Boston still has all of its own future first-rounders to operate with, something that could be crucial if they try to move Walker before the end of his deal.

Winner: Traded Player Exceptions

There’s still $11 million left on the Hayward TPE that Boston can utilize in the first few weeks of free agency. It might be a moot point because, if the team can’t re-sign Fournier, it could recoup value on him by moving him to his next destination in a sign-and-trade that would bring back, you guessed it, another large TPE. Boston is also likely to generate a $5 million TPE in sending out Theis and absorbing the incoming bodies via the Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier trade exceptions.