If the Boston Celtics want to trade for Ivica Zubac this season, games like the one he had on Thursday night won’t help their case. The LA Clippers lost 115-113 to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, but Zubac was a monster. He put up 33 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks while shooting 13-of-14 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Games like that will undoubtedly raise his trade value, and the Clippers already may not want to trade him. So, if he continues to improve his play after a relatively slow start to the season, it will inevitably lead to one of two realities: The Clippers don’t trade him at all, or his value skyrockets.
Neither is ideal for the Celtics.
Good Ivica Zubac games will make potential Celtics trade harder
Zubac was a legitimate All-NBA candidate last season and also landed a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. He’s been one of the best interior defenders in the league for the past two seasons.
Adding that level of center to the Celtics’ lineup would take them from a potentially solid playoff team to a legitimate Finals contender. But the ramifications would stretch far beyond this season.
The Celtics need to plan for now and the future. Jayson Tatum will come back eventually, and when he does, Boston will want to contend for championships.
Zubac is under contract this year, next year, and the year after that. Not only would he be a great fit on this current Celtics team, but he could be Boston’s starter for the next two years as well, helping Tatum and Jaylen Brown gun for titles.
The easiest pathway for Boston to potentially acquire Zubac is to trade Anfernee Simons and draft capital to the Clippers. The question is, are the Clippers interested in that type of trade?
LA could use some extra shot creation alongside James Harden, but giving up their starting center in order to acquire it wouldn’t be their best course of action.
However, considering how rough LA has been this season, there’s a world where they potentially look to tear down their roster. But since they don’t have their first-round pick this year, they may be averse to that idea.
Then again, if the Clippers continue to perform at the level they have so far this year (6-19), then whether or not they have their own pick doesn’t matter. At a certain point, selling players and getting new draft picks should become the priority.
If that becomes LA’s reality, then perhaps Zubac could be on the table for Boston to inquire about.