This year’s trade deadline was a bizarre one as the biggest buyers were teams outside of playoff contention, while the true contenders mostly stood pat or made moves around the margins. Thanks in part to that overall malaise, the Celtics came away from the deadline as one of the biggest winners in the league.
They brought in a proven veteran big man, Nikola Vucevic, who brings a different element to the frontcourt with his post scoring and floor-spacing ability. They also made three smaller, corresponding moves that allowed the Cs to duck under the luxury tax line, creating significant savings and roster-building flexibility going forward.
The results have been promising through three games, but let’s not get too far over our skis. Vooch is a big name and provides a nice dynamic, but he’s old and past his prime, overpaid, and a sieve on the defensive end. Flipping Simons for him may have made sense positionally and financially, but it was still a lateral move at best, and likely a step down in talent.
On a recent episode of the Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon both pumped the brakes on praising the Celtics as Windy reminded fans that this move was still a salary dump at heart, and in terms of how Vooch changes Boston’s title chances, McMahon chimed in, “not much”.
Vucevic move was mostly about money
At the end of the day, whether the deal works out or not, it’s clearly true that it was inspired by money. It was reported that earlier in the season, Chicago offered the same deal, but with the Cs sending a first, instead of an early second, and they balked.
Vooch was never a target. He was a fallback plan. The goal all along was to get under the tax, and turning Simons’ deal into Vucevic’s made it possible. Both players are on expiring contracts. Ant is younger. And while we’ve been talking about the need at center all season, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have been rock solid, with Amari Williams waiting in the wings.
Now, Boston has 12 players on their roster, and four of them play center. Meanwhile, until Jayson Tatum returns, if he does at all, Boston is a little short on ballhandling and scoring punch at guard, something they lost with Simons walking out the door.
There are definitely some fun new possibilities in play with Vucevic, and maybe the move to a contender will inspire him to play better than he has in years. If he can play well enough on defense and hit his threes, perhaps he can make an impact in the playoffs after all.
But even if that does happen, it’s important to remember that this deal doesn’t happen without the financial incentives, and it remains to be seen whether or not Vooch can actually stay on the floor during the playoffs.