It was easy to write off the Boston Celtics after their championship roster was gutted and superstar Jason Tatum was absent. Of course, doing so has proved to be a mistake.
They have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, even though their best player has yet to play a game this season. They also aggressively ducked the tax.
That’s something that should have made them a lottery team, not the second-best team in the East.
Part of their success has been the underrated play of Neemias Queta. Queta is just the latest Sacramento Kings castoff to find success elsewhere.
The Sacramento Kings gifted Neemias Queta to the Celtics
He spent the first two seasons of his career with the Kings but signed with the Celtics on a two-way deal and hasn’t looked back. He started all but one game this season and is averaging a solid 9.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in just 24.3 minutes per game.
Boston lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet and traded Kristaps Porzingis last summer. Thus, having Queta prove to be an effective starter while making just $2.3 million this season has been a massive steal for Boston.
It’s also been a disaster for the Kings, who are the worst team in the league. It’s a continued pattern where they give away talent for free or for very little. The Celtics are just one of many teams that have taken advantage of Sacramento’s ineptitude.
The Kings continue to get taken advantage of by the rest of the NBA
The San Antonio Spurs essentially got Harrison Barnes for free, and he’s been one of the league’s best shooters over the last season and a half. Even worse, they traded an unprotected 2031 pick swap to San Antonio, which is expected to be a lottery selection.
They then made that trade even worse by dealing De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs for pennies on the dollar and failing to recoup their 2031 pick swap. The Kings also traded Keon Ellis to the Celtics’ conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for minimal return.
He is already making a big defensive impact, making the Cavs better and the Kings even worse. Simply put, if any team wants to make a lopsided trade, they should call Sacramento because they have no idea what they’re doing.
The Celtics should certainly be pleased to have landed a Kings castoff, with Queta being one of the better value contracts in the NBA right now.
