With the trade deadline closing in the Boston Celtics are set to trade away one of their strongest defenders to the Houston Rockets.

While not yet official NBA Insider Shams Charania has been told that the Celtics are trading Jaden Springer and their 2030 second-round pick to the Rockets.

The Boston Celtics are trading Jaden Springer and their 2030 second-round pick to the Houston Rockets, sources tell ESPN. Both teams are also exchanging heavily protected second-rounders. pic.twitter.com/rhcmgvvJQo

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025

The deal is also believed to include exchanging heavily protected second-rounders.

Simmons questions Springer’s lack of playing time

Breaking into a Celtics side, who currently sit second in the Eastern Conference and are the current NBA title holders, is never going to be easy.

22-year-old Springer has averaged just 5.4 minutes of playing time this campaign but replacing Jaylen Brown or Derrick White is pretty tough going.

Brown has been an influential figure for the Celtics this season, especially in the occasional absence of Jayson Tatum.

The side defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-112 in their latest game to close the gap at the top of the Eastern Conference.

While the Celtics did well to keep the Cavaliers down to just 105 points, Bill Simmons was left unimpressed by their defensive display and called for Springer to be used more by coach Joe Mazzulla, something which won’t happen following the trade news.

He said: “Joe Mazz’s refusal to play Springer this year is becoming a problem. They need his defense against certain guys and Mitchell is one of them. Springer can’t shoot but he’s a beast. I don’t get it.”

The Rockets have got their hands on a major defensive weapon.

Rockets continue to build young

The Rockets are one of the youngest teams in the NBA this season and the potential trade deal to welcome Springer would again show their intent in building for the future.

Amen Thompson was recently named ‘one of a kind’ by Rockets veteran Steven Adams. While Thompson is the standout Rockets youngster, averaging 13-8-3, the team possess several other top stars.

Alperen Sengun is quickly being named ‘Baby Jokic’, while 22-year-old Jalen Green is also having a starring season dropping numbers of 21-4-2.

The Rockets currently sit third in the Western Conference with a 32-18 record and will be looking for Springer to help them continue their pursuit of playoff success.