Celtics trading former first-round pick to Rockets

A salary-dump deal involving Springer had long been anticipated for the defending champions, who had been operating well beyond the luxury-tax line and had a projected end-of-season tax bill of about $65.6M before this trade, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Moving off Springer’s expiring $4.02M contract will reduce that projected tax payment to approximately $50.2M, per Marks, while also opening up a second spot on Boston’s 15-man roster.

Teams can’t carry fewer than 14 players for more than 14 days at a time, so the Celtics will have up to two weeks to re-add a 14th man once their deal with the Rockets is official. 

Signing a replacement for Springer will bump the team’s tax bill back up a little, but the newcomer figures to be on a prorated minimum-salary deal and will have a far more modest cap hit than Springer did, so the accompanying tax penalty won’t be substantial.

As for the Rockets, they entered the day with more than $10M in breathing room below the luxury-tax line, so absorbing Springer’s $4.02M salary doesn’t materially change their cap situation. They also have an open spot on their 15-man roster, meaning no one will have to be waived to finalize the deal.

Houston doesn’t have any trade exceptions available, but it can use a portion of its mid-level exception to take on Springer’s salary without sending out a player for matching purposes.

Springer was the 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft but never developed into a reliable rotation player for the Sixers and was traded to the Celtics at last season’s deadline. The 22-year-old played sparingly in Boston, too, appearing in just 43 games over the past year and averaging 1.9 points and 1.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest.

Although Springer will be eligible for restricted free agency at the end of his contract, he’s not expected to receive a qualifying offer. He may reach unrestricted free agency before the season’s end — if the Rockets want to use their 15th roster spot on another player, he’ll likely be the odd man out.