For much of the season, the Boston Celtics were expected to explore the center market as the February 5 trade deadline approached. After losing Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet over the summer, the Celtics’ position of need is clear. However, Boston’s front office didn’t overreact, so it was always unlikely that they would rush into a trade.
The Celtics showed patience when the Chicago Bulls reached out to Boston earlier this season to offer Nikola Vucevic via trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Vucevic just made the All-Star team this season, at least in terms of production. However, Boston declined to move forward with a trade for the veteran big man.
League sources told HoopsHype, “For example, earlier this season, before Boston surged to second place in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls inquired about the possibility of trading center Nikola Vucevic for Simmons and the Celtics’ first-round pick, which would lower Boston’s tax bill, but the Celtics were not interested.”
Vucevic, 35, is enjoying another strong season in the Windy City. In 45 games, he averaged 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 50.9% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range. However, his defense leaves a lot to be desired, which could become a sticking point for the Celtics.
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After all, Joe Mazzula instilled a defense-first philosophy in the team. He also likes versatility on that side of the pitch, requiring everyone to have the ability to stop or press space. Vucevic is old and rarely able to do these two things. So it makes sense that Boston would turn down the opportunity to add the aging big man to their roster. That doesn’t mean the new center won’t be a focus in the coming days, though.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics reportedly turned down opportunity to trade veteran big man
