Ahead of the NBA season, there were a number of significant plays that were made just before the final horn.
Finally, Damian Lillard was dealt (to the Milwaukee Bucks), which allowed the Boston Celtics to acquire Jrue Holiday in a trade.
Both of these trades, fortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, had no effect on their chances of reaching the NBA Finals.
For Lakes supporters, it is still upsetting to see a good player like Holiday join the rival Celtics.
When the Celtics are struggling, life is better in LA.
A Boston team that had just seen its biggest rival add a star point guard made the ideal move by trading for Holiday.
The Celtics went out and acquired a former Lakers fan favorite after the deal, which made the decision even more painful for Lakers supporters.
A spot for a big man in the rotation became available with the trade that sent Robert Williams to Portland.
Wenyen Gabriel, a former Laker, was consequently signed by the Celtics.
Gabriel must still prove himself worthy of a spot on the NBA roster as this is only a training camp agreement.
After a strong showing for South Sudan at the FIBA World Cup, Boston is optimistic that he can accomplish that.
However, the Celtics may have signed the incorrect player as a result of their strong World Cup showing.
The wrong former Lakers center was signed by the Celtics.
The Boston Celtics might have gotten more value from Dwight Howard than from Wenyen Gabriel.
We know it’s absurd, but Howard’s name has recently surfaced in NBA rumors, and he still has something to offer an NBA team.
In Boston, Gabriel (or Howard, if he were signed) won’t have a significant role.
For the duration of the regular season, he will serve as a depth option.
To keep Al Horford fresh for the crucial moments of games, Boston needs someone to fill in for big man minutes.
Although Gabriel is not a conventional center, he is a good choice for doing that.
Since he is only six feet nine inches tall, he is smaller than the typical NBA big man and isn’t always a strong rebounder or rim protector.
Only Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis, and Neemis Queta are among the three players taller than six feet nine who play for Boston.
When compared to Kornet and Queta, Porzingis is unquestionably a unique circumstance.
Similar to how the team benefited from having Blake Griffin last season, the Celtics would gain from having a veteran seven-footer in the room.
Howard might have been that experienced seven-footer.
He is still more than capable of providing the team with 10 minutes per night during the regular season while scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds.
If Howard had to play 20 minutes when Horford and/or Porzingis weren’t on the court, he could still produce.
Boston currently lacks a center who can both protect the rim and pull down rebounds, so Howard would have provided that.
Gabriel is not that kind of center, despite how impressive he was during the World Cup.