The Boston Celtics didn’t do much at this year’s deadline. As a second-spron team, there wasn’t much available for them to do. They weren’t allowed to take back more salary than they sent out, and they couldn’t combine salaries in a deal, either. However, they did move on from Jaden Springer.
The Celtics’ top goal was to shave salary from their bottom line, and Springer was their best option to do so. He made just over $4 million in Boston, and considering he wasn’t a part of the regular rotation, it made some sense to offload his salary. They shipped him to the Houston Rockets along with a second-round pick.
But Springer wasn’t hurt by the way things went down.
Jaden Springer discusses prelude to Celtics trade
The 22-year-old guard was acquired by the Celtics at last year’s deadline in a deal with the Philadelhia 76ers. He was never a huge part of the rotation, but he still went on to win a ring in Boston.
This year, he once again didn’t play much, but in the weeks leading up to the deadline, Springer showed some promise. But with his salary and the current state of the Celtics financials, the writing was seemingly in the sand.
Since departing from Boston, Springer inked a deal with the Utah Jazz, and when they were in town for the first time since the deal on Monday night, he caught up with reporters.
He said that Brad Stevens told him there was a chance he could be traded and that he appreciates the way he handled the situation.
“Brad told me before it actually, when [it] was in the works, he gave me a heads up like, ‘Hey, hads up, something might happen.’ So, I’m happy he gave me a heads-up,” Springer said via CLNS Media. “I appreciate Brad for bringing me in, letting me get a championship with the guys, and be on the team. So, I appreciate them, I got love for them. So, that was pretty cool.”
Since joining the Jazz, Springer hasn’t earned much playing time. He didn’t get in the game against the Celtics on Monday.
He’s appeared in six games with the Jazz, averaging 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 42.9% from behind the three-point line.
At just 22 years old, Springer has plenty of time to develop, but there were limited opportunities in Boston. Now, with Utah, a team firmly in the middle of a rebuild, he should be able to earn more chances.