Mike Muscala to the Celtics

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2023/02/celtics-acquire-mike-muscala-from-thunder-for-justin-jackson-picks-report.html


Celtics
Celtics acquire Mike Muscala from Thunder for Justin Jackson, picks (report)
Updated: Feb. 09, 2023, 12:08 p.m.|Published: Feb. 09, 2023, 11:56 a.m.
John Henson and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mike Muscala fight for a rebound
Cleveland Cavaliers forward John Henson and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mike Muscala fight for a rebound in the second half.
Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
cleveland.com

facebook
twitter
Signed-in readers now can bookmark stories to read later.

NEW!

By Souichi Terada | sterada@masslive.com
As expected, the Celtics didn’t make a flashy move at Thursday’s trade deadline as the best team in the NBA. But they were able to get some big man insurance, which was a priority considering the state of their roster.

The Celtics acquired Thunder big man Mike Muscala in a trade, which was first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Boston sends Justin Jackson and two second-round picks to Oklahoma City as part of the deal, Charania reports.

Massachusetts online sports betting is coming soon. Learn more about the top sportsbook operators coming to MA such as FanDuel Massachusetts, DraftKings Massachusetts and Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts
Muscala, 31, has played in 43 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He’s not a massive difference-maker, but the 6-foot-11 center now joins the Celtics roster ahead of the playoff run. Muscala can space the floor as a shooter, knocking down 39.4% of his 3s this season on 3.3 attempts per game.

The C’s have looked for big man depth at the deadline to shore up their depth. Robert Williams III and Al Horford make up a talented front court, but their availability has been shaky during the regular season. Muscala isn’t guaranteed playoff minutes, but he’s at least another option for the Celtics the rest of the season.

Spurs declined Celtics trade offer for Jakob Poeltl that included second round picks, players
Muscala currently makes a $3.5 million salary this season, and he has a club option for $3.5 million next season. That gives the Celtics a cheap, affordable option for their center rotation. Jackson wasn’t going to get consistent minutes for Boston anyway as he’s mostly played garbage time this season.

Once the trade goes through, the Celtics could acquire another wing on the buyout market. That’s been another relative weakness on their roster. But Boston should still be an attractive free agent destination as a contender. The C’s also have an open roster spot they can use to grab whichever guy could play some spot minutes.

What Celtics said about trade deadline, staying ‘professional’ amid rumors
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/2023/02/09/report-mike-muscala-traded-to-the-boston-celtics/

ho hum...and there you have a tweak.

Nothing special but he can stretch the floor.  He makes $3.5 and next year a club option for $3.5 mill so no big risk at all.

We still have the open roster spot.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/muscami01.html

I've read that he is a "poor man's Olynyk". That should make Cowens happy!

dboss wrote:ho hum...and there you have a tweak.

Nothing special but he can stretch the floor.  He makes $3.5 and next year a club option for $3.5 mill so no big risk at all.

We still have the open roster spot.

Never heard of this guy. Looked up his O-stats. Not bad for the minutes he plays. But can he rebound and play defense or is he a liability there?
Kornet is actually playing fairly well, what with blocking 3 point attempts from the paint.

You woke me out of my nap for this?

As my son mentioned in a text, 'Don't know how I feel about knowing we now have like 5 centers on our roster who won't play any minutes.'

No news here. Brad did wreck my confident prediction of zero moves prior to the trade deadline. Sort of. If you really want to count this.

gyso wrote:I've read that he is a "poor man's Olynyk".  That should make Cowens happy!

gyso

That's funny. One big difference is his 7' 1" wingspan. KO's "arms are too short to box with God"

dboss,

We'd never hear of Derrick White either!! He turned out Ah-ight!! Let's hope Muscala falls in the same vein.

db

He hits threes. I just saw him make 4 or 5 in the Lebron sanctification game. More of a big wing than a 5. Can handle the ball. I think he's a nice pickup, considering that we gave up next to nothing for him and he's signed for this year and next for reasonable money. Summa y'all are extremely hard to please. We can still sign a conventional center, since K doesn't seem to be in our plans.

Makes me wonder what PJ Brown is doing these days.

In his 50's by now. I wonder if he might have another 18 games left in him for us?

From what I've read, the reception for this trade is mostly positive.

A shooter with length. Just under .40 three point average. Little or no cost.

Bleacher Report grade:
Boston Celtics Receive: Mike Muscala

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Justin Jackson, two second-round picks

Grades

Celtics: A

Boston's search for another big man to shore up the front-line rotation, minimize its postseason dependence on Luke Kornet (and Blake Griffin) and stock up on insurance against Robert Williams III missing time and 36-year-old Al Horford suddenly showing his age was among the league's worst-kept secrets. And, well, here we are!

Muscala is a risk-free acquisition who offers the exact type of frontcourt safety net the Celtics will maximize. His defensive mobility won't turn heads, but Boston has ample insulation to handle his shortcomings around the basket.

He will be eminently playable so long as his 39.4 percent clip from deep—43.5 percent since Jan. 1—holds firm. The Celtics might even be able to steal some dual-big minutes with him.

There is virtually no opportunity cost here. Boston isn't on a prioritize-second-round-picks timeline and didn't give up anyone remotely critical to the rotation. Muscala's $3.5 million salary can slide into the almost-expired Dennis Schröder trade exception ($5.9 million), and his $3.5 million team option for next season offers the Celtics affordable flexibility.

Thunder: B

Oklahoma City isn't functionally in a position to just unload useful bigs. Muscala gave the Thunder frontcourt much-needed size and shooting. He was also a placeholder.

The Thunder were tracking toward a singular roster spot this summer after accounting for non-guarantees they should keep. That number now snails its way to two, assuming they get rid of Jackson and Darius Bazley (restricted).

Maintaining body-count malleability matters for Oklahoma City at this juncture. It has just one first-rounder coming down the pipeline this June, but general manager Sam Presti is no stranger to draft-day activity, and the Thunder now have an extra slot to play around with should they actually decide to spend through what could be north of $30 million in cap space.

Increasing their optionality, picking up two seconds and sending the well-liked Muscala to a contender all at once is solid trade deadline-ing.

Muscala's name has popped up several times before.

jrleftfoot wrote:He hits threes. I just saw him make 4 or 5 in the Lebron sanctification game.  More of a big wing than a 5. Can handle the ball. I think he's a nice pickup, considering that we gave up next to nothing for him and he's signed for this year and next for reasonable money. Summa y'all are extremely hard to please. We can still sign a conventional center, since K doesn't seem to be in our plans.

In the Celtics offense, guys who can knock down open looks can help us. He is a proven commodity.

Now Brad can focus on adding a wing on the cheap.

The Celtics are a deep team and they just added more quality depth on the cheap.

Not an seismic trade, teams with the best record in the league never make blockbuster trades mid-season, but a definite win nonetheless.  Who/what did we give up to get him?  Useless Justin Jackson and two future 2nd rounders who weren't going to play in the NBA anyway.  

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/muscami01.html


Any positive number, and shooting 39.4% from 3 and 79.5% from the line are  positive numbers, minus zero is still a positive.  We got a positive and gave up a bunch of zeros to get it.  That's a win.  Good job, Brad.

Grant and Payton are still on the team.  Moving Grant would have been a high risk trade since he is a solid rotation player, so replacing his contributions would be hard, but I am surprised Pritchard is still on the team after the public remarks he has made.  The team exercised his option, so he's a Celtic if Brad wants him to be. At the end of next year he is a RFA. Grant, on the other hand, will be a RFA this summer and he will be popular among the GMs, but that's then and this is now and now we're going for #18. If Grant wants to leave a Championship team, fine, and thanks for your efforts.


Now Brad just needs to pick up a wing to back up Tatum/Brown off the waiver wire. Hopefully some quality veteran with a big contract will be bought out over the next 72 hours or so and will sign with us for the minimum in exchange for a shot at a ring.

Regardless, I am SO glad trade season is behind us.


Bob


.

added Muscala and subtracted a zero contributor in Jackson

Rumor has it that the Celtics had both Gallo and PP in a trade for Poeltl. I do not know if that is true. Both will be with us for the duration. If Gallo gets back that would be great and we can still use his DPE to add one more player.

Bob,

About the Pritchard "public remarks", I have yet to see anything solid about that.  The only thing I have seen is people making comments about it, but nothing posted in an article or video.  I've been busy at work and maybe I missed something, so that's a possibility.

I'll believe it when I see it, but I haven't seen it.  One would think something like that would be splattered all over this site, but it is curiously missing.

As far as Muscala is concerned, he replaces a guy that never got off the bench.  IMO, Muscala is a well-known entity in the league, a solid off the bench guy who may get 10-15 minutes per game and allow Horford to play less time.  

If it works out, he is signed for next season with a team option at low money.  Poeltl was never that, he was too expensive and reportedly wants to start.

Chances are, if some kind or trade involving the Celtics shows up on the internet, it isn't real.  Brad's trades happen without prior warning and are usually done deals when we hear about them.  Funny thing, they are also usually panned by fans who want fireworks and don't understand how to build a team or how the CBA works.

Bob


.

gyso wrote:Bob,

About the Pritchard "public remarks", I have yet to see anything solid about that.  The only thing I have seen is people making comments about it, but nothing posted in an article or video.  I've been busy at work and maybe I missed something, so that's a possibility.

I'll believe it when I see it, but I haven't seen it.  One would think something like that would be splattered all over this site, but it is curiously missing.

As far as Muscala is concerned, he replaces a guy that never got off the bench.  IMO, Muscala is a well-known entity in the league, a solid off the bench guy who may get 10-15 minutes per game and allow Horford to play less time.  

If it works out, he is signed for next season with a team option at low money.  Poeltl was never that, he was too expensive and reportedly wants to start.

Chances are, if some kind or trade involving the Celtics shows up on the internet, it isn't real.  Brad's trades happen without prior warning and are usually done deals when we hear about them.  Funny thing, they are also usually panned by fans who want fireworks and don't understand how to build a team or how the CBA works.

gyso,

“I mean, it’s not easy,” Pritchard said to Himmelsbach about his role. “It’s a lot of ups and downs. I think people know I want to play, especially while I’m young still. So that’s my biggest thing, being somewhere I can play, where they believe in me.


https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/08/sports/payton-pritchard-celtics-trade-deadline/


Celtics guard Payton Pritchard says he just wants to be ‘somewhere I can play’
By Adam Himmelsbach Globe Staff,Updated February 8, 2023, 11:48 p.m.



Celtics guard Payton Pritchard was one of the last players on the court after the morning shootaround Wednesday, going through a long workout with an assistant coach. He said he is approaching this season as a redshirt year as he tries to earn a prominent role on this first-place team.

But the 25-year-old believes he should be more than an insurance policy. And with Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline approaching, he stressed that he just wants an opportunity to thrive, whether in Boston or elsewhere.

“I mean, it’s not easy,” Pritchard told the Globe. “It’s a lot of ups and downs. I think people know I want to play, especially while I’m young still. So that’s my biggest thing, being somewhere I can play, where they believe in me.

“But at the end of the day, I’m here and we have a great team, best in the NBA. I’m very fortunate to be part of that.”


When Pritchard was asked whether he has had conversations with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens about his future in Boston, he nodded.


“Sure, but, I mean, at the end of the day it’s Brad’s decision, and I don’t really have a say in it,” he said. “So, whatever he decides.”

Pritchard said he is grateful to be on a successful team and he praised the group’s chemistry and cohesion. But he stopped short of saying the Celtics’ status as a title favorite has made his situation more palatable.

“Not necessarily for me, because I’m a competitor and I want to play,” he said. “I’d play this game for no money if that’s what it means, because I love it. So the biggest thing for me is being somewhere I’ll play and really contribute to winning.”


This season, Pritchard has appeared in 38 of 54 games and is averaging a career-low 12.6 minutes per contest. He has been in the rotation recently with Marcus Smart sidelined because of a sprained ankle. Situations such as this one could make the Celtics front office reluctant to part with him, since he’s always just one injury away from being needed.


“I feel like if I can help affect winning, that’s the most important thing,” Pritchard said. “But at the end of the day, I have no say in if I’m here or there. It’s out of my control.”

Pritchard, whose $4 million option for next season was picked up by the Celtics, said it’s flattering when supporters say he deserves a bigger role somewhere. And he stressed that there are still parts of his game that have yet to be unveiled. He just wants a chance to show them.

“I’ve got another level to that,” he said. “I don’t think people have really seen the full side of me yet. So for me, I think there’s still a lot left.”


Bob
MY NOTE:  If you read this article the way I do it sounds to me like he's dissatisfied enough to talk to Brad about it and said "at the end of the day it's not his (Pritchard's) decision".  Sounds to me like if it was his decision he'd be somewhere he'd play more.

.

A little more on our newest Celtic, Mike Muscala.

He has an Offensive Rating of 125 and a Defensive Rating of 114.  That's a Net Rating of +11.  It's hard to compare his ratings on OKC to what they'd be here because we're a better team both offensively and defensively, but a +11 Net Rating means that over 100 possessions he produces more a lot more good for the team he's on than bad.  His defensive rating in OKC was a lot worse than his defensive ratings in Atlanta, where he played with Horford, and the year he played with the Lakers.  

Joe loves the 3-ball, and so does Muscala.  In 14.5mpg this year he took 4.7fgas/game and 3.3 of them were 3s.  So his game this year fits Joe's playbook.  Throughout his career his ratio of 3pt fgas:total fgas has been around 70+%. Joe is smiling like a sunburst.

He's not a big passer, but his assist-to-turnover ratio has always been >1.0:1.  This year he has been averaging .9apg and .3TOpg for a 3:1 ratio.  Not a lot of assists, but not a lot of turnovers either.  That's a plus for a bench big. Just hold the fort, big guy, don't throw the game away while the starters are resting.

His weakness is rebounding.  He has never rebounded well for his size.  He's also not much of a rim protector either.

For a virtually no-cost center who will be 3rd-5th on the depth chart, and in his 10th season, he' a steal.


Bob


.

Bob,

Thanks. As I said, I hadn't seen it, now I have.

Did he really say, “I’d play this game for no money if that’s what it means . . ."? Yeah, I know he said it, but really?

It doesn't seem like he made any demands (I hope). He should have a conversation with some of the vets on the team. They'd tell him, "Being on a contending team is a rare thing, grab that ring when it comes around and hold on tight."

Heading into the NBA trade deadline, few were expecting the Celtics to swing for the fences with any major moves that could have disrupted the flow of the team with the best record in the league. Still, based on Brad Stevens track record of solid doubles over the last couple of years, you couldn’t rule anything out. Adding Mike Muscala probably qualifies as a walk or maybe a seeing-eye single in this baseball analogy. And Stevens still has another at bat left.

For more, see:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/2/9/23593556/the-boston-celtics-upgraded-on-the-margins-and-will-look-to-the-buyout-market

I like this move. Yes, it's nothing major, but it adds depth. Horford and Rob need to be fresh for the playoffs. Muscala brings another seasoned big man that can hit a three. Having Blake, Kornet, Muscala and Grant allows Coach Joe to manage Al and Rob's minutes as well as giving them nights off through the regular season. Good solid move by Brad!!