The 15

By Vinny Jace, Special to the15net dot com:

Heading into the trade deadline, the Celtics rode the high of an unexpected 34-18 record that currently has them sitting as the No. 2 seed in the East, a half-game ahead of the favorites to come out of the conference, the New York Knicks. What was anticipated to be a lean season, heavily reliant on established stars, turned into an egalitarian effort where perennial no-names became big contributors. Neemias Queta evolved from fourth-string center to starter-level rim protector, while young players like Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman turned in elite individual net ratings—Gonzalez at +17.7 and Scheierman at +10.7. The Celtics enjoy a luxury few expected them to have.

Had the Celtics not modestly hit on their late-round draft picks, perhaps they don’t trade Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević. Simons played a position of no real need; in fact, it could be argued he was redundant even if his impact was positive. Vučević filled a void, as Boston was thin at the big positions beyond Queta. Luka Garza is slow and can’t really defend. Chris Boucher never earned consistent time on the floor. Xavier Tillman never recovered physically from his injury.

Vučević is not a flawless player and is quite frankly divisive. He’s never played for a team with real expectations or any semblance of a winning culture. He meandered through the post-Dwight Howard Orlando Magic era for most of his career, then became part of one of the worst trades of this decade when he was shipped to the perennial play-in franchise, the Chicago Bulls.

Like Simons, Vučević’s reputation is that his offensive numbers are empty calories—a product of bad systems—and that he’s a defensive black hole. For what it’s worth, the Celtics have managed to cobble together a top-10 defense this year despite playing players we’d define as bad defenders, and Vučević doesn’t appear any worse than those already incorporated into the rotation. Joe Mazzulla has shown an adeptness at hiding players’ issues and not over-relying on them when he doesn’t have to.

Vučević’s debut against Miami saw him matched up against elite defensive big Bam Adebayo. It was clear early on that he had his hands full as the Celtics fell into a 22-point hole before mounting a 98-96 comeback victory. Part of that surge came from Vučević dragging Adebayo out of the paint, hitting cutters to the basket, contesting rebounds, and converting on second-chance points. It’s not an elixir that renders bigs like Adebayo non-issues, but it gives Boston a fighting chance when Queta is on the bench.

Vučević notched a double-double in his Celtics debut: 11 points (4-8 FG), 12 rebounds (6 offensive), and 4 assists in 28 minutes off the bench. Prior to the game, he expressed a willingness to convert his role from starter to bench player to accommodate the team:

Talked to Vucevic at shootaround this morning. “I do understand that my role eventually could, maybe next season, might change. I might into a smaller role on a team. Come off the bench, things like that. I’m fine with that. I understand that’s part of most people’s career. … if…

— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) February 3, 2026

Even if Vučević doesn’t have the ideal traits for a big man on a championship contender, his attitude fits the mold perfectly—and that in itself is a huge win.

This trade is low-risk, high-reward for Boston. Simons was nice but wasn’t a long-term option and was likely to command a salary too rich for Boston’s blood. Vučević, if things go smoothly, could remain in Boston at a modest price and serve as a reliable backup big when Tatum returns to full strength next season. The trade also contributed to lessening Boston’s tax bill. Currently, they reside in the repeater tax, but by avoiding the luxury tax this season and next, they’ll become standard taxpayers. This opens a runway from 2027-28 to 2029-30 to spend more liberally.

Back in June, the Celtics’ projected salary and luxury tax bill was $540 million. Today it’s at $186.5 million, and they are only two games worse than they were last year. The Celtics cut costs when they had no choice given the unique situation they found themselves in, and they remain contenders to come out of the conference. And now they have added a big man who can potentially help them do that.

Vinny Jace appears on the Beyond Entitled podcast. He does not live in the Balkans.