Report: Sixers trade Jaden Springer to Boston Celtics

The Sixers put the finishing touches on trade season with just a few minutes left on the clock.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers sent Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a second-round pick shortly before 3 p.m., Eastern time, on Thursday.

The deal wipes Springer's salary off the books for next season, making Joel Embiid the only player on the current roster guaranteed to be under contract heading into the summer of 2024.

Philadelphia adds a draft asset to the pile, and creates additional flexibility on the cap sheet - both for buyout candidates this season and sweepstakes this offseason.

It's a deal that's simply weird on the surface. Springer began to show promise as a defensive player, locking up high-level offensive players often recently. He's still very young, and there's room for him to grow. Trading him to a direct rival is dicy. If the Celtics can unlock more of him than the Sixers could, they made their arch nemesis better at very little cost.

But, if the Sixers believe that Embiid will be healthy enough to return to the court this season, you might argue that it's imperative to get as many pieces that you can trust in a playoff series right now as possible. That might mean opening roster spots for veterans on the buyout market. And if Embiid has to miss the remainder of the season, you have to put yourself in position to get those win-now pieces this offseason because you don't know how many more shots the big fella will have at his current level of play.

From these eyes, it seems that the Sixers are essentially cleaning the slate with the intention of spending this offseason building a team that can sustain their organizational vision for the remainder of Embiid's prime.

The Springer trade is a small piece of business, but the cap sheet speaks for itself.