The Celtics made their first trade of deadline week, landing Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic in exchange for Anfernee Simons. It’s a move that saves the C’s some money, plus they get more center depth.
The Celtics front office addressed a couple areas at the same time with the deal. The C’s are thin now at the guard position without Simons, which is why Payton Pritchard came off the bench in the win over the Mavericks on Tuesday. But the C’s have time ahead of the 3 p.m. Thursday trade deadline for any subsequent moves.
A few experts across the league weighed in on the trade. Below are excerpts of the analysis from trade-grade articles.
The Athletic
The Athletic liked the deal because Vucevic fills a need in the front court, adding depth to a rotation that features Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. Vucevic has his limitations, but he’s also on an expiring deal.
“I like this deal for the Celtics because they’ve been relying so much on Neemias Queta to secure the center position. Queta has done an incredible job, but their backup options have been Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman and Luka Garza. Garza is the only one playing consistently outside of Queta. That is not a frontcourt to be feared and it’s not a strategy you can rely on in the postseason.
“This allows the Celtics to either go big with Vucevic and Queta together or move Queta to the backup big, where he could feast on weaker big man options in his minutes. Vucevic is an expiring contract, so this might just be a rental. Although it’s worth asking whether moving Simons and what he does on offense means the Celtics feel better about a Tatum return this season.”
Grade: A for the Celtics
CBS
CBS also generally liked the trade, pointing out the financial implications of the deal. The writer pointed out the Celtics were able to shed salary, but they weren’t able to dip under the luxury tax line. They also point out the impact of dealing Simons.
“Losing Simons stings. Though he started out the year slowly, he was finding his footing in Boston after spending most of his career on Portland teams that weren’t true contenders. They’ll miss his scoring, but if Jayson Tatum comes back, well, that’s an easy replacement. Ultimately the Celtics were unlikely to pay Simons for the long haul, so as much as it stings to lose him from this year’s team, it was a price they needed to pay in order to secure a center and start the process of ducking the tax.”
Grade: B for the Celtics
USA Today
USA Today also really liked the trade, going as far as to say the East should be worried about the Celtics even more.
“The East should be very, very afraid. The Celtics are already a deep team that has done some damage even with Jayson Tatum out of the lineup. ... With this move? They got even better. Vucevic brings in serious offense with the ability to stretch the floor. With Neemias Queta providing great defense in the paint, this gives the Celtics flexibility and depth. Simons was expendable and was an asset as an expiring contract.”
Grade: A- for the Celtics
Sporting News
Sporting News wasn’t as high on the trade as the others, pointing out some of Vucevic’s defensive weaknesses. While his offense should fit great in Boston, there are questions about Vucevic’s defense in the playoffs.
“Vucevic is a good player who should help the team in the short-term. This deal was also made largely for financial reasons though. The Celtics have tried to cut as much salary as possible this season, trading away many of their key contributors from their 2024 title team in the hopes of lowering their luxury tax bill.
“Vucevic may come off the bench in a similar role. The Celtics aren’t getting an All-Star, but they are getting a smart veteran for a relatively low price.”
Grade: B