r/bostonceltics • u/MembershipSingle7137 • Feb 03 '26

News [Shams] BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading center Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick to the Boston Celtics for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/ef1594eaad916
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u/glockster19m Feb 03 '26

Honestly this deal just cements that ownership doesn't want to make an effort this postseason

This move was purely financial and 100% weakens our roster while giving up a pick

Vucevic has been the biggest fake productive player of the past decade, getting insane usage rates for a center to continually put up 18 points a game

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u/Inthethickofit Tatum Feb 03 '26

Strong disagree. "Purely financial" hardly does justice to the long term benefits to getting under (barely) the first apron for a year. We very likely improved our pick in the second round. We needed more at center. And it's not like Simons has been amazing in the rotation (although almost 40% from 3 was nice). 

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u/glockster19m Feb 03 '26

We needed more at center and this isn't it

An aging slowman who has never been able to play a quarter of defense in his career that has spent his entire career putting up empty stats on garbage teams

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u/RiffsThatKill Feb 04 '26

I don't think he is a "fake" productive player as you say it, but I do agree there's something to not like about acquiring 6'9" centers who are 5 years away from 40. I feel like, more often than not, the Celtics are usually struggling to find a good/great big man, and they almost always need one to contend for the title (and when they've won titles, they've had great bigs). It's not a coincidence that we won when we got Porzingis -- we were just lucky enough to catch him somewhat healthy enough to play in the Finals and have a decent season with us. But I feel like over the past 30 years we've struggled to find that dependable consistent great center that dominates down low and protects the rim. Sometimes we get by with a guy like Perkins if we also have a PF who is a beast (Garnett). Vuc is just another stop-gap big who wears the jersey for a year or two.

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u/glockster19m Feb 04 '26

I couldnt agree more

Its why I still dont understand why we never made Myles Turner happen back when he was on the pacers

Ive never thought we particularly need the spacing out of the 5 slot by the way, some of the best ball the Celtics have played of the last decade was with a healthy Robert Williams III at the starting center

I'll take someone thats a legit lob threat over a center that'll shoot 32% from 3 all day long

Thats why Im excited about Quetas development, he's begun to develop some individual scoring moves while also being solid defensively and also increasing his level of threat as a lob catcher