Just in: The Celtics have agreed to an Exchange deal, ($12.5 million in 2023-24) to the Wizards on the big deal for the 24-year-old forward

 

The Celtics have limited options to add to their team ahead of next month’s trade deadline. However, one move on Sunday opened the door for a couple of new possibilities for their team without impacting Boston’s core. The Wizards and Pistons agreed to a deal on Sunday according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com where Washington acquired Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks from the Pistons in exchange for former Celtics Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.

The swap between two of the NBA’s worst teams isn’t noteworthy on its own. The Pistons are looking to open up some cap space for next offseason so they packaged a couple of second-round picks with Marvin Bagley’s salary ($12.5 million in 2023-24) to motivate the Wizards to take on the big deal for the 24-year-old forward. Muscala and Gallinari were part of the swap merely as matching salaries and are likely not a part of the Pistons’ long-term plans since they both are on expiring deals as aging veterans.

So why exactly is this trade noteworthy potentially from a Celtics perspective? It all comes down to an NBA CBA rule. Boston dealt away Muscala and Gallinari to the Wizards back in June as part of the three-team deal that helped land Kristaps Porzingis with the Celtics. Upon trading both players away, the Celtics were no longer eligible to acquire Gallinari or Muscala for the next season via a Wizards trade or a buyout.

That equation changes now though in the wake of the Pistons deal. Since both forwards are now with a new team, the Celtics technically are eligible to trade for either player. They could also technically re-sign either player if they reach a buyout with the Pistons.

Whether the Celtics have any real interest in bringing back either player is a more pertinent question. Both players have struggled mightily with Washington this year, posting well below their career percentages from a shooting standpoint. Gallinari is averaging 7.0 points per game while shooting just 31 percent from 3 while Muscala is posting 4.0 points per game while shooting a dismal 27 percent from 3.

Gallinari ($6.8 million) would be incredibly unlikely to be a target for Boston at that salary due to the luxury tax penalties. He could reach a buyout though with Detroit if he’s not moved by the trade deadline to another team although he likely would pursue a bigger role than would be available for him in Boston in that event.

The more intriguing name here from Boston’s perspective is Muscala since he earns a more modest $3.5 million that would fit into Boston’s Grant Williams TPE. Boston could also easily match salaries to acquire him by trading a couple of end-of-the-bench players.

Whether Boston is looking for another big ahead of the trade deadline or would rather upgrade at a different position (big wing) remains to be seen. However, Brad Stevens now has at least one more option to consider on the trade market seeing that Muscala has the benefit of some familiarity with Boston’s system. The odds are against a reunion happening for either player but this is still a situation worth monitoring for the Celtics.