Celtics
Published: Feb. 05, 2026, 4:13 p.m.
Raptors Celtics Basketball
Boston Celtics forward Xavier Tillman (26) is congratulated by teammates after his game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors after a preseason NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP
The Celtics made one last trade ahead of Thursday’s deadline right at the buzzer, moving Xavier Tillman Sr. to the Hornets. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the deal.
It’s their third trade Thursday and fourth overall on the week. They shipped Chris Boucher to the Jazz then Josh Minott to the Nets earlier Thursday.
Tillman was acquired by the Celtics at the trade deadline two years ago in 2024. He played an important role in the C’s winning the 2024 NBA Finals, including guarding Luka Doncic when he did see the court. Tillman averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 14 games (one start) for the Celtics this season.
But Tillman fell out of the rotation this season. He occasionally saw some spot minutes but he was passed over by big man Amari Williams in the rotation. Williams was also promoted from two-way contract to standard roster spot earlier Thursday.
Brian covers the Celtics and NBA for MassLive.com. He has covered the Celtics since 2010 with previous stops at NBA.com, Bleacher Report and Boston.com. You can reach Brian at BRobb@masslive.com or on Twitter...more