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Shockingly the Celtics have made moves at the NBA Trade Deadline. The Orlando Magic have traded Evan Fournier to the Celtics for two second-round picks according to Shams Charania. This move adds depth to the Celtics bench especially when it comes to shooting. On the season, Fournier is averaging 19.7pts on 46% shooting in Orlando. He is currently shooting 38.8% from the three and is a solid pickup for the C’s.
Another player headed to Boston is C Mo Wagner from Chicago. The Celtics are giving up Daniel Theis in the deal, and in the process, they are freeing up some cash to possibly pursue the buyout market for some players.
Orlando made plenty of deals at the deadline following the Fournier deal sending All-Star C Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Bulls and in return Orlando received Otto Porter, Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-rounders. Another piece moved by Orlando is SF/PF Aaron Gordon. Although the Celtics were originally in on him, talks fell through and Gordon will be on his way to Denver. The Nuggets gave up Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and a first-rounder to the Magic for Gordon according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This is a huge move for Denver hopefully taking them to the next level alongside superstars Jokic, Murray, and Porter Jr. It is evident that Orlando begun a full rebuild after acquiring these future assets as well as keeping some young faces around.
Rolling in right after the deadline, the Miami Heat traded for Victor Oladipo who was being shopped around heavily in Houston. The Rockets received two former Celtics, Kelly Olynk and Avery Bradley in the trade as Oladipo packs up his bags for the second time this season. After this huge move for the Heat, it was rumored that LaMarcus Aldridge would be a likely addition to the team after the Spurs bought him out.
The Clippers made a solid move by trading their bench star Lou Williams to the Hawks along with two second-rounders in order to acquire PG Rajon Rondo. This is a significant move as Lou Williams is arguably one of the best bench players in the league who currently holds the most career points coming off of the bench. This helps the depth of the Hawks immensely as they look to improve for the playoffs.
Another notable move made throughout the league is PG George Hill being traded to Philadelphia. The Sixers were initially in talks for Kyle Lowry, but after grabbing Hill from OKC, it was hard to imagine that trade being executed. Hill was a part of a three team trade with the Knicks that ultimately sent Hill to Philly, but also included Austin Rivers going to OKC as a part of the deal. Hill is a good fit for Philly freeing up Ben Simmons from being one of the prominent ball handlers on the team.
Some smaller deals that occurred around the league include Norman Powell being traded to the Trail Blazers as the Raptors acquire Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr in that transaciton. The center position in Denver gets more depth with the acquisition of JaVale McGee. A couple of big names that were on the market are staying put as Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry did not get moved prior to the deadline, and Andre Drummond was bought out in Cleveland and is rumored to sign with the Lakers or the Knicks.
This year's deadline was very eventful and it wouldn't be surprising if more lingering transactions broke in the upcoming hours.