West Powerhouse Lands Ex-Celtics Center In Trade With Pelicans

The best of the Western Conference added some depth in the form of former Boston Celtics center Daniel Theis as the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans reached an agreement 24 hours before the NBA trade deadline.

Oklahoma City acquired Theis and a 2031 second-round draft, per team announcement, in exchange for cash considerations. Theis logged 38 appearances (nine starts) for the Pelicans, averaging 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks, playing 16.3 minutes off the bench behind rookie center Yves Missi.

Theis signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal with New Orleans last offseason, making the 32-year-old a low-risk addition for the first-place Thunder, on an expiring contract. The eight-year veteran now gets an opportunity to play meaningful minutes on a title-contending Oklahoma City team that defeated the Celtics — 105-92 on Jan. 5 — during their first of two matchups this season.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gains some much-needed size to work alongside front-running MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and one of the most electric teams in the league. Theis, standing at 6-foot-8, provides a versatile, defense-oriented role player with 41 games of playoff experience. It’s not a blockbuster move by any measure, but Oklahoma City hasn’t struggled much all season long.

They’ve gone 17-2 against teams over .500, 22-8 against West teams and 31-1 in games within 10 points. Oklahoma City has also won seven of its last 10 games and leads the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies by six games at 39-9, the best record in the NBA.

Boston will meet Theis in his Thunder threads when the Celtics host Oklahoma City on March 12 at TD Garden for a must-watch conference clash.