Brad Stevens woke up on the morning of trade deadline day satisfied. The Celtics had already accomplished their primary goal of adding an impact big to play alongside Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford with the acquisition of Xavier Tillman on Wednesday. On Thursday, Stevens said, there wasn’t great motivation to make another deal, but they did continue to monitor young prospects across the league they were interested in if they became available.

Then, as the deadline approached 3 p.m. on Thursday, Stevens pounced on the opportunity to acquire 21-year-old wing Jaden Springer, a player the Celtics have been closely tracking since he was drafted in 2021 whose potential they find intriguing.

After the deadline passed, Stevens seemed happy with how it shook out. The Celtics – who already made their big trade swings last summer – were never going to do anything to disrupt their talented starting lineup or rotation that has brought them the best record in the NBA to this point, especially given their financial constraints of being a second apron team. Instead, Stevens expertly operated around the edges, upgrading the Celtics’ depth for this season’s championship run with young pieces they can also develop for the future.

“For us, we have a rotation group of players that has played awfully well together,” Stevens said Friday. “You want to be able to add to the depth of the group without throwing off the equilibrium of the group, necessarily. … But then also, what can we do to get guys in the building that we think, they can certainly help us now and add to our group but also be able to hopefully manage and navigate some of the things we’re gonna have to manage and navigate over the next few months and years.”

Stevens said the Celtics have had their eye on the 6-foot-8, 245-pound Tillman for some time as he grew over his four years in Memphis. He did not define a role for him, but certainly likes the fit.

“Obviously, big and strong, moves his feet well laterally,” Stevens said. “He’s been able to guard a number of people and a number of different positions well. Above that, he plays the game for the right reasons. He competes, he passes, thinks the game well. …

“He’s a guy that we’ve always liked, and thought could be of help. We’ll see how that stuff all plays itself out. I mean, at the end of the day, what it does is it gives us a lot of flexibility. We’ve started with a quote, smaller lineup most of the year, but we play several minutes a game with a big lineup, just hopefully gives us more options to do either.”

Springer, similarly, is someone the Celtics have watched closely from a far since the 2021 draft, when the 76ers selected him in the first round. Stevens noted that Springer was the youngest player in that draft, and he still has plenty of room for growth. But they have liked what they’ve seen. They were impressed by his performances in the G-League playoffs last season, and a strong preseason effort against the Celtics in October opened their eyes, too.

“That was just an opportunity for us to bring in a guy who we think, he is an athlete that can play athletically in the playoffs, right?” Stevens said. “But he also has a lot of growing to get better and he’s committed to that. He’s got a long runway ahead. So we’ll see how this year shakes itself out for him. See how it all fits with the team. But he’s a guy that we believe in.”

Stevens traded Dalano Banton on Thursday to keep an open roster spot, which he said he’ll be patient in filling. The Celtics will survey the buyout market, and there’s a possibility that two-way big man Neemias Queta could be converted to a standard contract. Stevens said they’ll evaluate everything for that roster spot.

With restrictions coming for second-apron teams, roster-building will become more challenging, so Stevens’ deadline moves were just as much about now as they were the future. Tillman is on an expiring contract, but the Celtics now own his Bird rights, meaning they have the ability to re-sign him this summer despite being well over the salary cap. Springer is under contract through next season, giving the Celtics time to develop him before making another commitment.

“For us, it is about how do we balance fortifying ourself this year to give ourselves our best chance this year and also give ourselves options moving into the future because we’re going to be limited in what we can do,” Stevens said.

Stevens’ deadline approach reflected how strongly he feels about the Celtics’ chances this season. He didn’t touch the rotation given how well their new pieces have meshed together, and only aimed to complement and support that group. He knows nothing is guaranteed, but they remain well-positioned for an elusive championship.

“We’re good enough to make a deep run and potentially win it, and the other teams are good enough to beat us in the first round,” Stevens said. “We have to continue to improve as a team. We have to make sure that we are focused on the right stuff. We have to stay unselfish, we have to stay about the team and we just have to keep getting better. I mean, that’s the reality of it. This is a high level competition with a lot of good teams. Nothing is done on paper. Everything will be done on the court.”