Depending on what kind of fan you are, there are two ways to digest the Celtics’ trading Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday.
The optimistic fan would assume that this means Tatum is on the verge of a comeback, which would make Ant’s role a bit redundant, so they added a stretch-big who could be a fun pick-and-pop partner for JT.
The pessimist would read this as the Cs don’t expect Tatum back this season, so they’re trying to save money, even if it makes the team worse.
Simons has been playing well, providing a much-needed spark off the bench. His offense has become a key part of the Celtics’ success, and without his scoring punch, things would be looking a lot bleaker. There was some talk of keeping him and trying to extend him in the offseason. It also would have been a lot of fun to see him playing as a secondary option off of Tatum.
But we’ll never get to see it. Instead, we get a skilled, albeit well-past his prime, former All-Star big man who’s averaging 17 points and 9 rebounds this season while shooting 37.6% on almost five three-point attempts per game.
Celtics know they can’t win title without Tatum
It’s not fair to put this all on Tatum, but the reality of the situation is that this team, as currently constructed, can’t win it all without him. The Celtics aren’t stupid. They know this. They also know that if Tatum does come back, and they are serious about making a run in the playoffs, the frontcourt needed a boost.
So either way, this trade seems to accomplish a goal. They saved over $20 million in luxury taxes, ducking under the first apron, and took on no future salary as Vucevic is in the final year of his deal, just like Simons.
They also balanced out the roster, adding another center to go along with the thriving but green and unproven duo of Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. But Vucevic isn’t a long-term option by any means. He’s 35 years old, and last made an All-Star Game in 2021. Maybe if the rest of this season goes well, the Cs could extend him on a cheaper deal, but this is not the starting center of the future that they were hoping to find.
We’ve heard names like Jaren Jackson Jr., Ivica Zubac, Nic Claxton, and Jarrett Allen thrown around. All of those players would have cost more in draft capital, but would have been a clear building block at the position going forward for the rest of Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s primes.
Instead, Boston settled for a bit of a half measure, still not fully showing their cards. Yes, they flipped Simons for a center, as many expected they would. But they arguably downgraded in talent, took on a much older player, and saved a good amount of money.
Was this a salary dump, with financial savings being the top priority? Or was it a roster reshuffling with bigger moves ahead? That remains to be seen, but there are still almost 48 hours to go until the trade deadline, and Brad may not be done.
Even if the Celtics truly don’t know whether Tatum will return this season or not, this move is a sort of hedge against both outcomes and will hopefully satisfy the team’s eventual needs regardless.