Source: Warriors acquire Crawford, Brooks
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Boston Celtics traded guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal, a person familiar with the situation said.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade was awaiting NBA approval, said the Warriors sent guard Toney Douglas to the Miami Heat. The Heat moved center Joel Anthony and future draft picks to the Celtics in a move that creates more financial flexibility.
Yahoo Sports first reported the trade.
The deal gives Golden State a more suitable backup to point guard Stephen Curry after Douglas had struggled most of the season. Crawford is averaging 13.7 points and 5.6 assists this season. He's also shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point range.
Brooks, in his third year, is a shooting guard who has split time with Boston and the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. He's averaging 3.1 points in 10 games with the Celtics.
Golden State has been searching for more bench production behind Curry after veteran guard Jarrett Jack signed with Cleveland as a free agent last summer.
The Warriors had hoped Douglas could fill that void, but he missed 14 games because of a stress reaction in his left tibia and hasn't been able to find a rhythm since he returned. Douglas averaged 3.7 points, 0.8 assists and 11 minutes in 24 games this season.
For the Heat, the gains are largely financial, both short- and long-term.
Anthony was making $3.8 million this season — more than double what Douglas is earning — and is on the books for another $3.8 million next season. The deal should save the Heat more than $10 million in salary and luxury tax payments over the next two seasons, and that may help when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all decide to become free agents this summer.
And because point guard Mario Chalmers is currently dealing with an Achilles problem, Douglas could provide some insurance there as well. Another option is that the Heat choose to simply absorb whatever's left on Douglas' $1.6 million contract this season to open a roster spot, one that they could possibly target free agent center Andrew Bynum with.
Anthony played in 12 games for Miami this season, logging more than three minutes just four times. He scored a total of six points and has been largely an afterthought in the Heat rotation since the team signed forward Chris Andersen to be their top big-man reserve last year.
The Heat also are awaiting the return of center Greg Oden, who has not played in a regular-season game in more than four years but has been steadily progressing in a rehab program since signing with Miami in the offseason.
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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.