3 Reasons the Celtics should trade Jaden Springer, 3 reasons they shouldn't

With the Boston Celtics undermanned against the Chicago Bulls, they turned to Jaden Springer to fill in for Sam Hauser. Springer wasn't the main reason the Celtics got the blowout win, but he played a part. While his statline didn't do him justice, Springer definitely made himself stand out with his usual lockdown defense.

His excellent individual defense is not a new development. When Springer is on the court, the Celtics' opponents know it and dread it. However, on the other side of the floor, his jumper has started to look... promising?

It was only one three, but Springer continues to show that he might have some potential as a spot-up shooter from deep. Since the Celtics increased his role somewhat, he's shooting 6-for-13 from three, a tick below 50%. The sample size is small, but it's noteworthy.

They're not going to count on him in that regard as they do with Hauser or Payton Pritchard, but this progress is not something Boston should sweep under the rug. But does Springer's progress make him part of their future or make him a more appealing asset to dangle at the trade deadline?

Since we've gone over a basic overview of what Springer does and can bring to the table, here are the arguments for and against the Celtics keeping him.

3 Reasons the Celtics should keep Jaden Springer

1. He could help Boston put Jrue Holiday on the Al Horford plan

Jrue Holiday has not been as good as he was for Boston in his first year, but is anyone surprised by this? He's entering his mid-30s, so Father Time is knocking on his door, which shows on the court. The player he was last season hasn't shown up nearly as consistently, but he's not gone.

No one's suggesting Holiday is, as the kids call it, washed, but putting him on the Al Horford plan, i.e., minutes and games restriction, is becoming increasingly more necessary if the Celtics want him to play as well as he did during their playoff run to the title. It's all about conserving what Holiday has left in the tank.

It'd be foolishly homerific to suggest that Springer could come anywhere close to the production that Holiday can. Still, he has high enough potential to substitute for Holiday when the latter can't play, even if he can't do everything at the level Holiday can.

The expectation would be like that of Blake Griffin's time in Boston. Arguably, even better. For those who forget, Griffin did a solid job as the fill-in starter for Horford when the Celtics gave him the night off, even if, at that stage of his career, Griffin couldn't do nearly what Horford could. But he could do enough, as far as effort and basketball IQ goes, for the Celtics to survive without Al.

Springer wouldn't have to do what Holiday does if the Celtics turned to him to help conserve the latter. He would just have to fill in at the same level Blake did for Horford when he was a Celtic.

2. He could be on an Avery Bradley (lite)-like trajectory

Okay, this is homeriffic to suggest because comparing Springer to Avery Bradley puts unfairly lofty expectations for anyone who remembers how good Bradley was. In short, he was a dependable rotation player on two separate Celtics' conference finalists in 2012 and 2017.

For as good as Bradley was, we have to remember that Bradley's progression took time. He had a surprisingly bad handle for someone his size and never truly became a revered iso scorer, but the Celtics only asked him to do things that they knew he could be good at.

He made himself useful by becoming a floor spacer and making sharp cuts both in and outside the arc. Oh, and he was also one of the peskiest defensive guards of his era. The Celtics may never ask Springer to play at the same level they did with Bradley, so he wouldn't be an exact replica, but he could turn into poor man's version of what Bradley brought.

Just be a disruptor on defense while shooting threes at a respectable clip. If that's what Springer could turn into, the Celtics should gladly take it.

3. He wants to stay in Boston

Springer told The Boston Herald's Zack Cox that he wants to remain in Boston, though he knows his future with the Celtics is out of his hands.

His mindset should be applauded because he has not been given much of a chance in Boston until recently. His willingness to accept his role even though the Celtics have mostly played him when they don't have their full squad shows that he definitely has a winner's mindset.

That's not always a given with players. Look at Oshae Brissett. He loved playing for the Celtics but understandably wanted something more, so he chose to leave. With all that went down there, it's not always a given that players with the role that Springer has and Brissett had are willing to stick with it.

Springer may also feel this way because he believes he could be something for the Celtics. Nonetheless, it's awesome that he wants tosee his potential through in Boston.

So that's the case to keep Springer in Boston. As for the case against...

3 Reasons the Celtics should trade Jaden Springer

1. Keeping Springer could be expensive

Many are keeping their eyes on what the Celtics do because they will face major ramifications in the coming years, especially with how deeply they are into the NBA's second tax apron. It won't surprise anyone if the Celtics try to cut down on expenses, making Springer a potential loose end financially.

If the Celtics keep Springer past the deadline, they have leverage with his restricted free agency. It's not like Springer will demand much, but given their current cap situation, they'll be penny-pinching and may not see him as worth it.

While just a few million a year may not seem like much, that could cost tens of millions in luxury tax. Springer might not be worth that, especially if the Celtics don't plan to play him consistently. The Celtics may not think it's worth paying the excess dollars to bank on his progress.

2. Springer's appeal is all hypothetical

For as good as Springer *could* be not too long from now, that's still mostly in theory. He is indeed playing his best basketball as a Celtic, but it's still not counting for much. This isn't to point out that he'll never become the player his optimists believe he can be, but more than in the Celtics' current timeline, they may want someone they know they can depend on in Springer's role.

Springer has potential. That much is not debatable, but with great potential comes a limited timeline to live up to it on a team like Boston. On younger teams with lesser expectations, Springer would likely get more time, but the Celtics' championship aspirations mean they want to leave as little to chance as they can.

That's the bottom line for teams trying to win titles. They don't wait for young players to develop into something when they have a championship window. The Celtics' title window will be open for some time, but they want to maximize it. They will probably ask themselves if they're better off having a sturdy veteran take Springer's spot.

3. This might be the best time to trade Springer

Springer's airtight defense and raw offense made him a pretty easy player for Boston to trade for last year. The Celtics also had a small window to use one of their trade exceptions while they still could.

His trade value last year was based on potential because the 76ers played him enough for a team to buy into it. Up until these last few weeks, Springer's value has cratered, but now it's rising again. Not to be a broken record, but that's only to some degreee, but not by a lot.

Still it might be enough for the Celtics to capitalize on his value while they can. What he's shown recently is that he could be a floor-spacer after all to go with his individual defense. The Celtics have nine guys who they depend on more than Springer at full health - besides the starters, that's Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, and even Neemias Queta.

There's a strong likelihood that when this team at full strength, it won't matter how promising Springer's play is. He'll still be watching from the sidelines anyway. Because he's shown signs of life as a two-way player, Boston could strike while the iron is hot, or in this case, lukewarm.

Not too long ago, Springer was brought up a ton in trade talks, and that's because many believe the Celtics could round out their roster with a better player. He's starting to show that he might be more, but he still needs to show more from here to prove he's turning the corner.

We'll get to a clearer look of how Boston views him when the trade deadline passes at 3:00 ET on February 6.