{"id":147441,"date":"2025-07-04T20:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/147441\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T20:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:05:11","slug":"nba-trade-news-boston-celtics-acquired-6-feet-8-ex-phoenix-suns-big-man-to-support-jayson-tatum-and-bolster-squad-for-better-title-odds-nba-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/147441\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trade News: Boston Celtics acquired 6-feet-8 ex-Phoenix Suns big man to support Jayson Tatum and bolster squad for better title odds | NBA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NBAJalen Bridges (Image via Getty) The Boston Celtics have signed Jalen Bridges, a 6-foot-8 forward and former teammate of Kevin Durant<\/a> on the Phoenix Suns, as a potential replacement for Jayson Tatum, who is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 NBA season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. This move comes after a tumultuous postseason for Boston, which saw them lose Tatum to injury during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n

Jalen Bridges\u2019 Profile and Connection to Kevin Durant<\/p>\n

Jalen Bridges played alongside Kevin Durant during the 2024-25 NBA season with the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, albeit in a limited role. He was on a two-way contract and appeared in just eight games, averaging 1.1 points per game on 28.6% shooting from the field and from three-point range.Despite his modest professional stats, Bridges was a notable perimeter shooter in college, finishing his career at West Virginia and Baylor with a 37% three-point percentage, including two seasons above 39%.At 24 years old, Jalen Bridges brings size, youth, and a reputation as a capable spot-up shooter, which could fit well in coach Joe Mazzulla\u2019s offensive system.<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum\u2019s Injury and Boston Celtics\u2019 Roster Moves<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in May 2025 and underwent successful surgery, with an expected nine-month recovery timeline. This mirrors the recovery period Kevin Durant faced after a similar injury, which caused him to miss an entire season.The Boston Celtics<\/a>, facing the challenge of replacing Tatum\u2019s production, have opted for a low-risk, high-upside move by bringing Bridges onto their summer league roster, with a chance to earn a full roster spot in training camp.<\/p>\n

Outlook and Potential Impact of Jalen Bridges on the Boston Celtics<\/p>\n

While Jalen Bridges is not expected to replicate Tatum\u2019s all-around impact, his shooting ability and size could allow him to carve out a role, especially if he impresses during summer league and training camp.The Boston Celtics\u2019 decision to sign Bridges reflects a pragmatic approach: seeking affordable, developmental options to help fill the void left by Tatum, rather than making a blockbuster trade or high-cost acquisition.Also read: Bronny James Pay Cut Rumor Debunked: Viral Hoax Fooled NBA Fans<\/a>In summary, the Boston Celtics\u2019 addition of Jalen Bridges\u2014Kevin Durant\u2019s former 6-foot-8 teammate\u2014offers them a potential rotation piece as they navigate the uncertainty of Tatum\u2019s recovery. Bridges\u2019 performance in the coming months will determine whether he can become a meaningful contributor for Boston during a critical transitional season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jalen Bridges (Image via Getty) The Boston Celtics have signed Jalen Bridges, a 6-foot-8 forward and former teammate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147442,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,75,6687,9067,938,6,6553,2065,472,4045,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-147441","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston-celtics","10":"tag-jalen-bridges","11":"tag-jayson-tatum-injury","12":"tag-kevin-durant","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-nba-trade-news","15":"tag-phoenix","16":"tag-phoenix-suns","17":"tag-phoenixsuns","18":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114796765656104682","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}