AP source: OKC trades Muscala to Boston for Jackson, picks

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason, left, Oklahoma City Thunder center Mike Muscala (33), and Houston Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate, right, chase the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade forward Justin Jackson and a pair of future second-round draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for big man Mike Muscala, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The move bolsters the front court for Boston, which currently has the best record in the Eastern Conference, but is looking for backup for Robert Williams and Al Horford. Williams had a knee surgery in the offseason and the 36-year-old Horford has dealt with injuries in his 16th NBA season.

In Muscala, the Celtics get a 6-foot-11 forward/center who had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Thunder. The 31-year-old averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds for Oklahoma City this season. His best season, 2020-21, he averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds for the Thunder.

Muscala had two of his best games this season in the last few days. On February 4th, he matched a season-high with 19 points and made five 3-pointers in a win over the Houston Rockets. On Tuesday the 7th, he scored 16 points and made four 3-pointers in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers — the night LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s career scoring leader.

Jackson, 27, is on a one-year contract and has appeared in 23 games this season for Boston, averaging. 0.9 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. He also had stints with Sacramento, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Phoenix.

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AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.