Eastern Conference Finals Berth Vindicates Celtics' Quiet Trade Deadline

In beating the Washington Wizards 115-105 on Monday night, the Boston Celtics earned so much more than an Eastern Conference Finals bid.

They found vindication laced with a tint of revenge—immunity from the idea that they failed, epically, by not acquiring Jimmy Butler or Paul George at the trade deadline.

Boston's decision to stand pat never should have been in question. It was the right call in February, despite sweeping stances to the contrary, and looks even better now. And this is assuming the luxury of hindsight exists at all.

There are no guarantees the Celtics balked at deals for a superstar. Butler and George were both available, according to ESPN.com's Zach Lowe, but even now, roughly three months later, specific details and packages have yet to trickle out. 

Team president Danny Ainge may have passed on a deal for Serge Ibaka, per Celtics Blog's Jared Weiss. Jae Crowder may have been the sticking point in Butler negotiations, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. 

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

It's perfectly fine to operate under the assumption there were workable deals to broker. The Celtics have a ton of assets—including the rights to each of the Brooklyn Nets' next two draft picks (one of which could very well become this summer's No. 1 selection). One of the Chicago Bulls or Indiana Pacers would have probably bitten at their best offer.

And on its face, passing on an All-NBA talent like Butler because it'll cost Crowder is laughable. But so, too, is the position of convenience in which Boston finds itself less than a half-decade after hitting reset, as Bleacher Report's Howard Beck noted:

The Celtics aren't just headed for the Conference Finals. They'll own home-court advantage, after finishing with the East's best regular-season record, over the reigning-champion Cavaliers.  

In more than one way, this caters to the counterargument for remaining idle. 

They're the No. 1 seed! How do you not go toe-to-toe with LeBron James now? He's made six straight trips to the NBA Finals! He's overdue for an earlier vacation! Plus, the Cavaliers defense was trash during the regular season!

James has, unequivocally, quashed the notion of Cleveland's vulnerability. He has flipped the postseason switch, and his teammates have followed suit. The Cavaliers are getting pummeled when they play without James, but they've unearthed a solution to this recurring dilemma: Don't play without him. He's logging 42.4 minutes per game, his most since 2012, and Cleveland enters Game 1 on Wednesday with the postseason's best offense and third-best defense among semifinal qualifiers. 

These aren't your regular-season Cavs. And per Vice Sports' Michael Pina, the Celtics know it:

Landing Butler or George wouldn't have rendered Boston the favorite for this series. Midseason acquisitions of this magnitude seldom click from the outset. It takes time to integrate stars. Crowder and Avery Bradley, the two most likely sources of tangible collateral damage, are better fits immediately thanks to more system-friendly play styles:

Player	USG%	%FGM Unassisted	Total
Jae Crowder	17.9	9.8	27.7
Avery Bradley	20.7	18.5	39.2
Paul George	29.1	52.9	82
Jimmy Butler	26.9	65.2	92.1

Neither Butler nor George is used to playing off the ball as much as Bradley, Crowder and the rest of Boston's supporting cast. They have the ability to adapt off Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford in the long run, but the odds of them forging instant chemistry without a training camp or consistent practice schedule weren't good.

A team that's reconciling a fast-closing window goes for it all now no matter what. The Celtics aren't that team; they're in no rush.

Any deals for Butler or George that were available in February will be available in July, September or even next February. Boston's assets aren't going anywhere, and the extra years that have since ticked off Butler's (player option for 2019-20) and George's (player option for 2018-19) contracts might even drive down their values.

If nothing else, the Celtics passed on acquiring a superstar at the expense of picks, prospects and role players to try to pull off an identical acquisition without forfeiting any of that. Renouncing Kelly Olynyk and waiving Tyler Zeller's non-guaranteed deal gets them more than $30 million cap space—enough to pursue Gordon Hayward (player option). Keep Olynyk while ditching Zeller, and they're still looking at more than $20 million in room—enough to enter the sweepstakes for second-tier studs, such as Ibaka or JaMychal Green.

And after all that, following a successful or empty free agency, the Celtics will remain in position to poach a star via trade. Dangling Jaylen Brown and a Nets pick plus salary fodder gets them in the conversation for whatever big name is on the chopping block. One of Bradley or Crowder can be thrown in to sweeten the pot.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Yes, the clock is ticking on Boston's comfy position. Olynyk is a restricted free agent this July. Marcus Smart is extension-eligible. Terry Rozier follows suit in 2018. Bradley and Thomas will enter free agency next summer to max or near-max offers.

There is an imminent expiration date on these below-market deals and the flexibility they create. But it's not here yet. And there was no point gambling on an accelerated championship push when patience remains a luxury.

Urgency comes later, if and when the Celtics fail to make a splash before next season's trade deadline. In the meantime, they get to bask in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance they weren't supposed to make, against a Cavaliers squad they never would have been expected to beat, sporting the assets and incumbent talent to go for it all when it actually makes sense.

Vindication in its most irreversible form.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast co-hosted by B/R's Andrew Bailey.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com.