The trade deadline has been eventful as ever. Lots of teams made moves, some to get better players, and some to get younger ones. The Boston Celtics were a team that were under a lot of pressure to make a move during this time. With the team struggling and holding on to the biggest Traded Player Exception (when a team takes back 100 percent of that year’s salary) of all time, Danny Ainge would have been in a lot of trouble if nothing changed. Fortunately for him, he made two interesting moves:

First trade:

Celtics Receive: Evan Fournier

Orlando Magic Receive: Jeff Teague; two future second round picks

This is an excellent trade for the Celtics because Evan Fournier can take some offensive pressure off of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The best part about this that they didn’t have to give up much. While Jeff Teague has been playing better as of late, generally he has been having a down season. Fournier will most likely come off the bench and score a bunch of points while Tatum and Brown are on the bench.

Second trade:

Celtics Receive: Luke Kornet and Mo Wagner

Chicago Bulls Receive: Daniel Theis, Javonte Green and Troy Brown Jr.

Washington Wizards Receive: Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison

While this trade may not have any big names, it could have big implications for the Celtics. I see this trade as an investment in Robert Williams. This comes after Brad Stevens expressed discomfort with the double big lineup. By trading Daniel Theis, they are potentially making room for Robert Williams to start, while adding some young players who may or may not turn into anything. I know Celtics fans might not like the idea of losing Daniel Theis after nursing him into a decent starter, but I think this trade would be very good in the development of Robert Williams.

Of course, the Celtics weren’t the only team to make a trade this deadline. One of the biggest trades of the deadline was Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls.

Bulls Receive: Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu 

Magic Receive:  Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round picks

This is honestly a very good trade for both teams, as the Magic get lots of future assets including Wendell Carter Jr. who is a nice young player that can contribute to winning basketball. This sets up Orlando for a nice rebuild. On the other hand, the Bulls get a second all-star along with Zach Lavine. This team gets another player they can lean on for consistent scoring. And Aminu brings some needed defense to this young offensive-minded team. You can look for Chicago to make a strong push for the playoffs this season.

Another big trade was Victor Oladipo going to the Miami Heat.

Heat Receive: Victor Oladipo 

Houston Rockets Receive: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a first-round pick

Oladipo has been very public in his interest to go to Miami, and in this trade, he gets what he wants. Honestly, Miami could have been patient and waited for him in free agency, but I guess it’s better safe than sorry. This is a good trade for the Heat because they didn’t have to give up much. The Rockets, on the other hand, weren’t as smart. To be fair, Oladipo being public about going to Miami made it hard for them, because other teams weren’t going to trade away much to get half a season of Oladipo. It just gets worse when you look back at the James Harden trade and look at how they ended up. They got a bunch of first-round picks, which are probably not going to be valuable because the Brooklyn Nets are good, and Oladipo was traded away for two older guys that are not going to help you rebuild. They could have kept Caris LeVert, or they probably could have gotten Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers if they wanted, but instead, they are left with a team that is going to be bad for a while.

These have been some of the biggest trades before the trade deadline. Many teams look much different today, some in good ways and others not so much (sorry, Rockets fans.) Regardless, I am excited to see how the new players gel in their new situations.