Celtics and Spurs make underwhelming first NBA trade of 2023

The first trade of 2023 saw the Celtics make a move to save themselves luxury tax and open up a roster spot by sending Noah Vonleh to San Antonio for a conditional second-round pick. Said pick is unlikely to convey, as it's protected 31-55, but by rule, the Spurs have to give the Celtics something in the trade.

Boston made the deal because Vonleh's $2.5 million salary would have become fully-guaranteed for the season on Saturday. If they had cut Vonleh before Saturday's deadline, he still would have counted for $1.2 million against the cap and luxury tax. So by trading Vonleh instead, Boston saves $7 million in salary plus luxury tax.

Vonleh was the ninth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and played several seasons in Portland before they traded him in a money-saving move in 2018. Since then, Vonleh has played for six different NBA teams, plus the Shanghai Sharks. This season, he was averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 minutes in 23 games with the Celtics.

What's in it for the Spurs? The cash, basically. San Antonio is $16 million under the salary floor , so they can take on plenty of money. They'll almost certainly waive Vonleh themselves before Saturday, and Boston will tip them some cash. It only costs them Gorgui Dieng, who played only 13 games for the tanking Spurs this year. Dieng turns 33 in two weeks, and while he could probably still help an NBA team win, the Spurs don't actually want to win this year.

So that's the first trade of 2023. Two players get fired, while Boston bribes San Antonio to get them out of paying taxes. What could be more American than that?