With Gordon Hayward already headed to the Hornets last offseason, the Celtics sent Charlotte two second-round picks to turn the deal into a sign-and-trade and create a large trade exception. Boston then used the trade exception to acquire Evan Fournier (and Josh Richardson).
Now, with Fournier already headed to the Knicks, the Celtics will send New York another second-rounder to create another trade exception.
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe:
According to a league source, the Celtics created a $17.1 million trade exception in the Fournier sign-and-trade.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) August 17, 2021
Per source, the Celtics sent the Knicks the top-55 protected 2023 Hornets second-round pick, and *deep breath* the worst of: the worst of OKC/Was or the better of Miami/Dallas
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) August 17, 2021
Fred Katz of The Athletic:
Had to step up and let the public in on the scoop of the year: the Knicks are sending the Celtics $110K in the Evan Fournier trade, sources say.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) August 17, 2021
The trade exception will be worth Fournier’s salary this season (which is apparently $17.1 million) and expire in one year.
Even large trade exceptions often go unused because the team must actually pay the player acquired with one. Especially after signing Dennis Schroder for the mid-level exception, Boston might not want to further increase its luxury-tax bill this season.
The Celtics are more likely to use the exception next summer. After extending Marcus Smart’s contract, they project to be over the cap next offseason.
But Boston just proved their willingness to spend by using the Hayward trade exception on Fournier before the last trade deadline. Either approaching the next trade deadline or next offseason, the Celtics now have a potentially useful tool for roster-building.
For New York, which could have signed Fournier outright with cap space, this is an easy way to snag an extra second-round pick (or two, if you count the extremely unlikely to convey Hornets pick). The $110,00 is the minimum amount the Knicks had to convey to make the trade legal (considering they weren’t sending out a pick or player).