Brad Stevens Has Made His First Trade, Bringing In Xavier Tillman From The Grizzlies For Basically Nothing

And just like that, Brad Stevens is on the board!

Just yesterday I blogged about the two most likely paths we would see Brad go down at this deadline. We knew the roster needed big depth, and we knew it needed wing depth. The question was more, which way does Brad go? So far, I'm starting to think the answer is

Now I know what you're probably thinking. Who the hell is Xavier Tillman and is this even a good trade? First, let's explore the most important part. His salary.

Tillman makes just $1.9M, which is important for a few reasons. For starters, it's low enough to where the Celts didn't have to touch the Grant TPE, they chose to just send Lamar Stevens instead

In terms of a player? He's a 6'8 big so he's not really an answer for an opposing center, but remember what we were told heading into this deadline. Brad is looking for depth and injury replacements. As a 4th/5th big? Good enough for me.

Things Tillman does not really do

1. Stretch the floor (22.6% from deep)

2. Score well around the rim (56.8%)

3. Make FTs (41.9%)

But in terms of cost and availability, I suppose you could do worse. He's your classic 6-8 point and 4-6 rebound type guy in around 20 mintues a night over the last two seasons with a defensive minded approach

and I think as long as you're not asking him to do too much, it's fine. Go in, be tough, rebound, foul hard, and get in some passing lanes. The offense is nonexistent on most nights, so don't think of him as an offensive player. I also don't see this as a guy who takes Kornet's minutes or even Queta's minutes at this point, just another big body you can throw around to eat up minutes here and there.

It does make me wonder about Queta's Two Way. I always thought that if Brad went the big route, it meant that Queta's Two Way wasn't going to be converted. Seeing as how this big is only 6'8, I wonder if that's still on the table. The Celts are going to have to figure out some guaranteed roster spots for any additional move, but that's not a big deal in my opinion.

The bigger domino is now wing. With the Grant TPE in tact, there are still a handful of wings that make a ton of sense. Personally, I'm a Lonnie Walker guy ($2M), but there are others out there. The important thing is that we all wanted to see Brad do something given the opportunity the Celts have to win a ring, and so far he's doing his part.

I'm sure there will be more to come, but in terms of a first step, this is fine. Not a homerun, not a disaster, it's fine. What comes next is the more important part.