The Boston Celtics' mission to sink beneath the second tax apron this offseason resulted in the departures of several key contributors to their title-winning 2024 team, including names like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
While the previous group were all victims of the Celtics' planned self-implosion that took place over the summer, Boston set out to accomplish their goal back in February at the 2024-25 trade deadline by dealing a promising guard with two-way potential along with two second-round picks to the Houston Rockets for a single second-round pick in return.
Following his release from the Rockets, a short tenure with the Utah Jazz throughout the rest of the 2024-25 campaign and a successful preseason stint with the New Orleans Pelicans, the athletic 23-year-old has reportedly earned a chance to show the Celtics that they made the wrong decision by letting him go last season.
"New Orleans Pelicans guard Jaden Springer has made the team, league sources told HoopsHype," HoopsHype's Michael Scotto shared via X on Saturday night.
"Springer has played four NBA seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Utah Jazz."
Standing at 6-foot-4, the Pelicans' agile combo-guard Jaden Springer could make a world of a difference for a defensively-inept squad in a loaded Western Conference.
Sure, Springer's career box score figures at the NBA level of 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds paired with a 40.9% field goal percentage don't jump off of the page, but his excellent 106 defensive rating per 100 possessions and 3.5 defensive box plus-minus through 43 career games as a Celtic should not be ignored.
In a competitive situation, Springer has proven to be a player that can elevate a team's defense every minute he's on the floor. As the newest member of the Pelicans, his main goal could be to assist the franchise with progressing heavily on the defensive end as a collective.
The Celtics may have been short-sighted in their evaluation of Springer while providing him with just 6.3 minutes of action throughout his tenure with the franchise. In fact, Springer even proved to be a fantastic scoring threat during his first and only appearance for their G-League affiliate Maine Celtics, when he scored 26 points and dished out three assists for the team on Mar. 26.
With an opportunity to notch real playing time for a rebuilding Pelicans team in 2025-26, Springer might be in the best position possible to seek revenge against his former team and prove that he can contribute at a consistent rate on both ends of the floor.
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