Celtics Newcomer Confident In Joining Boston After Trade Deadline

Jaden Springer is set to join a Celtics team battling the weighted expectations of raising Banner 18, and the 21-year-old believes he’ll deliver an impact upon debuting in Boston.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who’s eyed Springer since before he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021, traded for the third-year veteran hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Springer played 11.8 minutes off the bench in Philadelphia, getting a pretty close view of the rivalry with the Celtics in three matchups.

“I feel like I can definitely help bring the energy,” Springer told Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I feel defensively I can help the team. Offensively, I can fit into the system, watching the way they play. It’s just really free-playing, really understanding what they’re trying to get to. I feel like I can help however they need me to, so I’m pretty excited for that.”

Getting minutes won’t be easy in Boston, either. Springer will earn time off the bench behind starters Derrick White and Jrue Holiday and reserve unit go-to guard Payton Pritchard, but flashes of potential have been on display.

Springer ended his run with Philadelphia with one notable defensive performance against a future Hall of Famer. During his first start against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 7, Springer held Stephen Curry to 2-of-7 shooting. Curry also committed a game-high four turnovers.

Boston got involved in trade talks with Philadelphia at just the right time as the 76ers needed to be proactive in the trade market to remain competitive, even following the Joel Embiid injury news — Embiid suffered a knee injury that potentially could keep him out for the remainder of the season.

“That one’s pretty straightforward in that, again, we’re focused on winning the title,” President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said, according to Ky Carlin of USA Today. “We had to look at, ‘What are the odds Jaden Springer — who I think has a great future — will help our playoff rotation in the one, two, three-year maybe horizon? And what are the odds that the second-round pick will help us?’ And we thought the second-round pick helped us more. That’s just the reality.”

Springer’s Celtics debut will remain on hold as an ankle injury will keep him sidelined for Tuesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.