Celtics get second-rounder, help Heat trim tax bill in Dragic trade

The Deal

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Celtics get: Guard Zoran Dragic, 2020 second-round pick, $1.5 million cash

Heat get: Heavily protected second-round pick

Boston Celtics: A

The Celtics squeezed out the last remaining bit of their cap space -- swallowed up later Monday when they officially announced the acquisition of David Lee from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb -- to make one last trade. Boston will take on Dragic's salary for the express purpose of waiving him, since the Celtics' roster is already overstuffed with 16 guaranteed contracts.

As reported by the Boston Globe, the cash Miami sent will make Boston whole financially. While Dragic's cap hit this season is $1.7 million, he's only making $1.5 million because the Phoenix Suns paid part of that amount as a signing bonus spread over both years of Dragic's contract for cap purposes. That leaves the Celtics getting a future second-round pick for their trouble.

Miami Heat: A

For the Heat, consider this part two of the tax-trimming trades that began Sunday with Shabazz Napier reportedly going to the Orlando Magic. Trading Dragic was an even more obvious choice because he's yet to demonstrate he's an NBA-caliber player. Between the Phoenix Suns and Miami, Dragic played 75 minutes last season as a rookie -- more than half of them in the season finale when the Heat needed to lose to assure they'd enter the lottery in position to keep their top-10 protected pick.

While Dragic did score 22 points in that game, he was unlikely to crack a crowded Heat perimeter rotation. At best, this trade gives him the opportunity to find another team more interested in his services. At worst, he'll return to Europe a little bit better off financially.

Shedding Dragic's contract frees another roster spot for Miami, which now has 15 players under contract (11 of them guaranteed) along with second-round pick Josh Richardson. If the Heat sign Richardson for the rookie minimum and keep him on the roster while waiving either James Ennis or Henry Walker, this trade will save them between $3.4 million and $4 million in luxury tax because Miami is paying the harsher repeater tax.