Two weeks after replacing Danny Ange as president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens took a seismic first step into his new role.
Sending Boston All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, the 16th pick in this year's NBA Draft and Al Horford, the 2025 second-round pick for Moses Brown to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the 2023 second-round pick, the teams have announced on Friday.
It's unusual for any trade to happen before next week's NBA combine, let alone this important one. But Stevens has a longstanding relationship with Thunder general manager Sam Presti, and the deal served important purposes for both franchises.
"Kemba is a true professional and a great teammate and player," Stevens said in a statement. "I want to thank him for his tremendous influence and the positive contributions he has made to both the Celtics and the City of Boston."
The Celtics gain significant financial flexibility as Stevens tries to revamp the roster around young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Walker is owed about $73 million over the next two years, while Horford is owed $53 million -- guaranteed $41 million -- over the same two years.
That flexibility will give Boston the potential to re-sign guard Evan Fournier, whom they acquired on this year's trade deadline and who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while the Celtics are relegated to Horford. , who had spent three years with him earlier. Signing his current deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.
Oklahoma City, on the other hand, continues to gain draft capital as it rebuilds its roster around Shai Gilgius-Alexander. The Thunder have three first-round picks in this year's draft: their own, Boston's, and either the fifth pick or the 18th pick, depending on whether Oklahoma City tops Houston after Tuesday's NBA draft lottery. -4 - Whether the protected first-rounder meets. The Thunder now have 18 first-round picks in the next seven drafts.
The business also continues under Presti for Oklahoma City, working with players to find them a suitable new home, something they have worked with Chris Paul, Danny Green and now Horford to achieve all three over the past several months. done after.
Sources said Oklahoma City would work with Walker in a similar way.
The move for 31-year-old Walker brings the end of a difficult two-year run with the Celtics after the Celtics were persuaded to replace Kyrie Irving as the team's starting point guard in July 2019. After missing a total of 35 games, after being one of the NBA's most durable players during his eight years at Charlotter to start his career, he missed 45 over the past two seasons, including 29 this year alone. .
After spending much of the 2020 calendar year battling left knee issues, Walker took part in a 12-week strengthening program to try to improve the knee, missed the start of the season, and then deliberately missed every back half of it was excluded. -to-back set. But Walker, who averaged 19.3 points and 4.9 assists in 43 games, still injured Boston's final two games of the season — sitting out at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets in Games 4 and 5 of the Celtics' first-round playoffs — on the same left. With a bone injury in the knee.
"It's tough," Walker said after the Celtics lost Game 5, which became his last public comment as a member of the team. "It's been really tough, especially because over the course of my career, I've played a lot of sports while I'm healthy.
"I came to Boston to be part of those special runs and to be part of the high-intensity games and the fans going wild, and unfortunately I wasn't able to be a part of it. Just try to be right. Me Got to be right."
Horford, who turned 35 earlier this month, played well in 28 games for Oklahoma City, averaging 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 27.9 minutes per game, before he and the Thunder mutually played for the rest of the season. agreed to close it. To make sure they can find a boyfriend for her this season. He will likely be Boston's starting center next season.
He thanked Thunder staff and their teammates in a tweet, "Although it was short, it was absolutely first class and my family and I are extremely grateful and appreciative."
Brown, 21, impressed as a two-way player before signing a multi-year deal with Oklahoma City, averaging 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 43 games - including against the Celtics in Oklahoma City on March 27 Contains 21 points and 23 rebounds.