Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently rumored Cs targets

Boston Celtics target No. 3) Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic

Sticking with the Magic’s roster, Swartz linked the likes of All-Star center Nikola Vucevic to the Boston Celtics as a potential trade target.

Obviously, the biggest question mark on the team’s roster is their center rotation and has been since the beginning of last season.

Though Daniel Theis did have himself a solid campaign in his starting role at the five during the 2019-20 campaign, once the postseason hit it was evident that he is not what the Cs need at their pivot, as he wound up being bullied by the likes of Joel Embiid, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and, most obviously, Bam Adebayo during their three-round stint.

The Orlando Magic are an intriguing team to monitor, as they could just as easily look to make their third-consecutive playoff push as they could tear the whole thing down and embark on a rebuild.

Should they go for the latter, the obvious prized jewel on the roster is Vucevic who, over the past six or so seasons, has established himself as one of the best big men in the game today.

Through 11 outings this season, the center is putting up impressive averages of 22.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, and a half-block per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor and a stellar 42 percent shooting from deep.

Listing in a 7-0, 260 pounds, he would easily be the most physically dominant big the franchise has had in quite some time and, at this stage of his career, Swartz believes he would be a fantastic addition to the Boston Celtics:

"Vucevic would be a dream target here, a do-it-all center in the prime of his career whom the Celtics could run a chunk of their offense through. Boston is just 29th in the NBA in assist percentage (54.5 percent), while Vucevic is averaging 3.5 assists and shooting a career-high 42.4 percent from three."

While it would likely cost a pretty penny to acquire the veteran big, as long as they can keep the majority of their core intact, Ainge should go after Nikola Vucevic hard should he become available this year.

Verdict: Pursue