Celtics Trade Joel Anthony To Pistons For Will Bynum
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics have finalized a trade with the Detroit Piston that sends center Joel Anthony and his big contract to Motown.
In return for Anthony and his $3.8 million salary the Celtics receive point guard Will Bynum, the team announced Friday.
Bynum makes $900,000 less than Anthony, which will help the Celtics stay under the luxury tax line for this season. It's unclear if he'll stick around in Boston with their glut of guards on the roster. The Celtics currently have 16 players on their roster, and need to trim that to 15 before the start of the regular season. So Bynum could find himself a free agent very soon.
While he's spent the last six seasons in Detroit, the Celtics are familiar with the 31-year-old guard. After Bynum went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2005, Boston was the first NBA team to sign him to a contract. He was part of their roster during the preseason, but was waived prior to the start of the regular season. He then played in the Development League before joining the Golden State Warriors, and then spent a few years overseas before joining the Pistons in 2008.
For his seven-year NBA career, Bynum has averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Anthony played in just 21 games for Boston, but head coach Brad Stevens had nothing but good things to say about the veteran big man following the trade.
"He was a great addition to our locker room, the way he looked out for the younger guys and what he brought after a couple of championship series," Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Friday. "What he brought was invaluable; I want to thank him and wish him the best."
Stevens said that the team will evaluate Bynum over the final 10 days of the preseason to determine where -- and if -- he fits into the team's future plans.
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