CELTICS DUMP AVERY BRADLEY'S SALARY TO LUCKY PISTONS
The Detroit Pistons acquired shooting guard Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick from the Boston Celtics for combo forward Marcus Morris.
What does it give the Detroit Pistons
This is a windfall for the Pistons. Bradley is one of the NBA's top backcourt defensive players, and he's a pretty good scorer too--making this a somewhat lopsided deal in Detroit's favor. While Morris is relatively solid starter, he's not quite the playmaker Bradley is at either end of the floor. The fact Detroit also gets a draft pick here makes this a win for the Pistons. Meanwhile, the Pistons are also moving on from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has been released.
What does it give the Boston Celtics
This had to be a tough call for Boston to make, but the recent signing of Gordon Hayward made it necessary. The Celtics are scrambling to find financial room for Hayward's massive new contract, and so Bradley's $8.8 million salary had to go. Of course, Morris himself makes $5 million, so it's not a huge savings (in relative terms). Morris will provide Boston more options up front, but it's hard to love this deal for the Celts.
Fantasy impact
Bradley gets an impressive fantasy boost by moving to the Pistons; it's not out of the question to expect him to average in the neighborhood of 20 points, seven rebounds, and two steals per game next season. Meanwhile Morris likely gets a fantasy downgrade, since there's no guarantee he'll be a starter for Boston like he was with Detroit. As for Caldwell-Pope, his value likely stays the same now that he has signed on with the Lakers; his new contract is fairly lucrative, so it seems L.A. will want him to play roughly as big a role for the Lakers as he did for the Pistons.
