Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Getty
Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
During the offseason, the Boston Celtics were projected to be a middling team throughout the 2025-26 NBA season. Brad Stevens had overseen the loss of multiple key rotation players, replacing them with young and unproven talent.
However, Boston currently sits second in the Eastern Conference at the midway point of the campaign.
During a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast, the NBA Insider noted that Boston is expected to be a buying team ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“All the rumblings around the league are that Boston is now going to buy,” Lowe said. “I don’t know how that works. I don’t know if they can buy and cut their tax bill at the same time. The obvious place for them to buy would be up front, where they could use another legit frontcourt player…Tatum, I think, is going to come back at some point. And, they have a lot of assets to play with…Does that involve Anfernee Simons going out?”
Adding another frontcourt talent has been a hot topic among the Celtics fanbase in recent weeks. Both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have impressed in their roles. Nevertheless, neither of those bigs project to be a starting-caliber player for a championship-winning team.
Ivica Zubac Named As Celtics “Ideal” Trade Target
When speaking on a recent episode of the “Celtics Talk” podcast, NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg pinpointed Ivica Zubac of the LA Clippers as Boston’s ideal trade target.
“I think he’s the one guy I would be willing to splurge on a little bit,” Forsberg said. “His contract is so desirable. He checks a lot of boxes. (He’s) always in the top 20 in defensive rebounds. I think he led the NBA in defensive rebounds last year. He shores up your biggest need immediately. The defensive potential is obvious…For me, it comes down to plug-and-play. He fits this team. He’s kind of the perfect guy for this team.”
A veteran big man who excels when defending the rim, is an elite rebounder, high-level screener and can finish both in the paint and the mid-range, Zubac would be a solid addition to Joe Mazzulla’s roster. However, it’s unlikely the Clippers will be willing to let Zubac leave mid-season unless they receive a “can’t refuse” type of offer.
Celtics Could Look To Keep Anfernee Simons
If the Celtics do make a trade at the Feb. 5 deadline, all eyes will be on Anfernee Simons. The score-first guard has emerged as a key piece of the Celtics rotation to over the last month or so. However, his expiring $27 million salary is arguably Boston’s biggest trade chip.
Should the Celtics decide to keep Simons around, they may look to re-sign him to a more team-friendly deal during the summer.
During a recent appearance on the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast, NBA cap expert Keith Smith shared his thoughts on what a longer-term deal for Simons could look like.
“I think Simon’s contract number is gonna come down,” Smith said. “The teams with cap space aren’t gonna be overly interested in giving it to him….I think he’s gonna be more around the mid-level amount. Now, if I’m the Celtics, I’m okay with giving him a little bit more than the mid-level just to keep his number a little higher for future trade reasons down the line.”
Smith continued.
“So, if they started around $15, $16 million, I don’t have a huge issue with that. Even if they went as high as $20 in year one, and then did it as a descending contract that came down slightly year to year, that would be fine too.”
Clearly, the Celtics have a lot of decisions to make before the deadline passes. Although it’s becoming increasingly likely that we see Stevens make a notable move to give Boston a boost for the second half of the season, and a potentially deep postseason run.