The Celtics made their first move of trade deadline week on Tuesday, acquiring Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. The deal will have on-court implications for Boston as well as financial ones with the NBA trade deadline under 48 hours away. However, league sources tell MassLive that Boston is expected to remain active even after completing the deal for Vucevic.
Vucevic is averaging 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range. The 35-year-old is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He stands to join a center rotation that includes Neemias Queta and Luka Garza while providing a high-volume stretch option as a big
However, the other implications from this move are financial. The Celtics are cutting about $5.9 million in their payroll with the trade by turning Simons’ $27.4 million salary into Vucevic’s $21.5 million. Additionally, Boston reduced their repeater tax penalty by $21.8 million by trimming off that payroll. They currently stand at $5.9 million over the luxury tax line, which would leave them with $17.7 million in luxury tax penalties.
With Boston sitting so close to the luxury tax line now, trimming another $5.9 million from the payroll to get under the tax line is very realistic before Thursday’s deadline. Boston would have a number of different ways to complete that objective, likely with multiple other trades. Chris Boucher remains a likely candidate to be dealt, league sources tell MassLive. However, Boston would need to do more than just move a couple minimum salaries to dip under the tax. A player who is part of Boston’s rotation in some form would likely have to be moved. In theory, Vucevic could be used to further reduce the payroll if he’s re-routed to another team for a smaller salary in a separate deal or if a trade is expanded. For now, he looks like a way for them to bolster their depth in frontcourt.
The Celtics stand to benefit from getting under the luxury tax line this year by starting the process of resetting the repeater tax. Boston will need to be out of the luxury tax for the next two seasons in order to reset those harsh repeater tax penalties.
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m.