NBA Trade Deadline: 76ers Reportedly Send Jaden Springer to Celtics for Second-Round Pick

The Philadelphia 76ers completed one more trade, this one in the final minutes before the 3 p.m. trade deadline. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are trading Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a second-round pick.

The 76ers are trading Jaden Springer to the Celtics for a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024

The draft pick the Sixers are receiving from Boston is the more favorable of the Chicago Bulls or New Orleans Pelicans’ 2024 second-round pick, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Springer is an insanely athletic player who thrives on the defensive end of the floor. After taking multiple years to develop down in the G League, he finally received consistent minutes for the Sixers this season. Springer recently put up strong performances defending against Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry, two of the league’s elite scorers, over the last week or so. The 21-year old is still a project offensively, but it became clear his defensive ability warrants seeing some time on the floor.

The Springer trade clears $2.2 million off the Sixers’ salary cap. After all their trade deadline moves, the Sixers sit roughly $5.2 million below the luxury tax line.

Moving Springer to the Celtics, one of their rivals atop of the Eastern Conference, for a second-round pick is a questionable decision. The Sixers are now lacking strong perimeter defenders after trading away both Springer and Pat Beverley. After starting the day off strong by trading for sharpshooter Buddy Hield, the rest of the Sixers’ moves at the trade deadline were both confusing and disappointing.