It is unusual for any trade to happen before next week’s NBA combine, let alone one this significant.
The Celtics get significant financial flexibility as Stevens tries to retool the roster around young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Thunder have three first-round picks in this year’s draft: their own, Boston’s, and either the fifth pick or the 18th pick, depending on whether Oklahoma City gets Houston’s top-4-protected first-rounder after Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery.
The move brings an end to a tumultuous two years for Walker, 31, with the Celtics after his celebrated signing in July 2019 to replace Kyrie Irving as the team’s starting point guard.
After spending most of the 2020 calendar year battling left knee issues, Walker underwent a 12-week strengthening program in the offseason to try to improve the knee, missing the start of the season, and then was intentionally held out of one half of every back-to-back set.
“It’s tough,” Walker said after the Celtics lost Game 5, in what became his final public comments as a member of the team.
“I came to Boston to be a part of those special runs and be a part of high-intensity games and fans going wild, and I wasn’t able to be a part of that, unfortunately.
Horford, who turned 35 earlier this month, played well in 28 games for Oklahoma City, averaging 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 27.9 minutes per game, before he and the Thunder mutually agreed to shut him down for the rest of the season to better ensure they could find a suitor for him this offseason.