First things first, Celtics fans: Any title aspirations you have held this year are sadly misguided. The Boston Celtics were never going to the finals before the deadline, and they still are not going to the finals after a couple of moves at the deadline. The expectation that Celtics general manager, Danny Ainge, was somehow going to turn the team into a contender with a series of in-season moves was unfeasible. The roster has sorely lacked depth, and Eastern Conference foes like the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets simply outclass the Celtics in terms of talent.

Now that we have established reality for all my fellow “green teamers” (I know it’s unpleasant, but attainable expectations are necessary), we can look more objectively at the Celtics’ deadline deals. In no way am I attempting to let the Celtics off of the hook here for their putrid play because, clearly, they have not lived up to their roster potential, but some of us fans expected too much from the get-go.

The first shoe to drop was on the day of the deadline, with the news that Boston had traded for Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier. With a small price tag of two second round draft picks, the C’s acquired a dependable and consistent addition to their rotation at great value. Fournier is posting career numbers this year, averaging 19.7 points a game, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three.

The acquisition aims to alleviate the load of burden on young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown and Tatum have had difficulty accumulating wins without the assistance of bona fide wing scorer Gordon Hayward this season. As Hayward inked a large deal with Charlotte in the offseason, Brown and Tatum were forced to assume larger roles on offense, and in turn, the offense has become entirely too predictable and stagnant. Their individual scoring numbers have both seen an increase, but the Celtics as a team have posted a measly 23–25 record.

Ainge’s other deadline move sent center Daniel Theis to Chicago in exchange for big man Moe Wagner. While the Celtics did not exactly secure great value for Theis, a move had to be made in order to remain under the salary cap after acquiring Fournier. Wagner has posted 6.8 points per game, while snagging 2.9 rebounds a game this season. Since Wagner is a clear downgrade from Theis, expect center Robert Williams to receive a significant increase in minutes as a result of the trade. James Stewart, of 98.5’s “The Sports Hub,” has also linked the Celtics to free-agent big man Demarcus Cousins, who could fill the newfound void in the Celtics front court nicely.

While the moves do not quite put the Celtics into title contention, they certainly add the wing depth and the reliable fourth scoring option the Celtics need in order to become competitive down the stretch. The Celtics currently sit in eighth place amongst their Eastern Conference foes, and if the playoffs began tomorrow, they would be the last team in. Somehow, the C’s are only two games behind the fourth place Charlotte Hornets. It is within reason for the green team to leapfrog over the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets, so long as they get hot down the stretch. Dependent upon final seeding, the Celtics can still put together an entertaining playoff run that could go deep into the second or even a third, but the clock is ticking.