According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the idea of the Boston Celtics acquiring Ivica Zubac may be just a pipe dream. That could change closer to the trade deadline, or, more likely, in the offseason. It's also entirely possible that the Los Angeles Clippers won't have any interest in trading him this summer, either.
After all, this is a talented 28-year-old two-way center on a multi-year deal at a reasonable rate. If they act swiftly, Zubac can be a significant part of the next era of Clippers basketball.
That's probably not what a large contingent of Celtics fans is rooting for. Whether one's in that camp or not, what's evident to all is that Boston needs to acquire an upgrade so it has another traditional option at center alongside Neemias Queta.
In the same post on Threads that Windhorst stated, "Zubac is absolutely not available," he said the Celtics will be looking for opportunities to bring in another option to play the pivot.
What does Celtics' center hunt mean for Neemias Queta?
Queta is maximizing his time in the first unit. Opponents are shooting 8.0 percent worse around the rim when he is there to protect the cylinder, per databallr.com. The athletic seven-footer is swatting 2.8 shots per 100 attempts, according to the same site.
At the other end of the floor, the fifth-year center is a skilled screener, consistently paving the way to productive possessions. Beyond that, he's a reliable lob threat. The latter puts opponents in a bind. If a help defender doesn't rotate to tag him, that play is probably ending in a dunk. If they do so, they're leaving a shooter open.
At +6.6, Queta boasts Boston's highest plus-minus rating. The question of how high a 26-year-old with fewer than 2,000 total minutes under his belt can continue to climb remains open-ended.
However, when he heads to the bench, the Celtics have had to get creative. Joe Mazzulla is leaning on small-ball lineups with Josh Minott at center when his starter subs out. Those have worked well. Still, a more traditional option is needed.
Perhaps, in time, that could be Amari Williams. The rookie earned rave reviews from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White for his "Welcome to the NBA" moment against Jalen Duren.
However, Boston reportedly expressed interest in signing Day'Ron Sharpe in the summer. The Brooklyn Nets center will become trade-eligible on Dec. 15.
The Celtics could target a player like him as a complementary option behind Queta. The rumors about Zubac's potential availability created a case for acting now to acquire a player who would become their new starting center.
From this vantage point, that pursuit, whether it's for Zubac or another player the franchise would deem an upgrade, is more likely to wait until the offseason. Perhaps, by then, Queta will have solidified himself as Boston's starter of the future.
What's clear is that the Celtics either need to lean into playing an individual like Luka Garza, accepting the positives and the reasons for his minutes disappearing. Or they can strike a deal to upgrade their options behind Queta.
The current combination of the latter and Minott is working, but it's fragile. That could become most apparent in the postseason.