Celtics reportedly acquire Xavier Tillman from Grizzlies

BOSTON -- Brad Stevens did not wait around for Thursday's NBA trade deadline to bulk up the Celtics' depth. Boston reportedly acquired big man Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Celtics are sending a pair of second-round picks and Lamar Stevens to Memphis in exchange for the 6-foot-8 Tillman, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Tillman was a second-round pick by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 out of Michigan State, but was dealt to the Grizzles a day later. He's been a solid depth piece for Memphis and has seen action in 207 games over the last four seasons, including 56 starts, averaging 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for his career.

This season, Tillman has averaged 6.0 points per game off a career-low 41 percent shooting from the floor to go with 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest. Knee soreness has kept him out of the lineup as of late and he didn't play against the Celtics when the Grizzlies were in Boston over the weekend.

But Tillman has averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds over his previous 10 appearances, a stretch that included his best game of the season: A 20-point, 9-rebound effort in a loss to the Clippers on Jan. 12. 

While his offensive game is limited, Tillman is a versatile -- and tough -- defender who will give Boston more depth in the frontcourt behind veteran Al Horford and Luke Kornet. The pickup will likely mean a lot less playing time for rookie Neemias Queta. 

The 25-year-old Tillman is on an expiring $1.9M contract, so the Celtics will own his Bird Rights in the offseason.

The first-place Celtics don't need much at the moment, but Stevens has been reportedly looking at various ways to improve the team's depth ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.