Boston Celtics Rumors: Team Intrigued By Magic Center Nikola Vucevic
The Boston Celtics are rumored to have extreme interest in Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic.
The NBA trade decline is just under a month away and the Boston Celtics are rumored in a couple of deals. One of the possible moves could involve Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic. The 7-footer could give Brad Stevens and the Celtics the scoring and rebounding the team has been lacking all season long.
Although a potential deal wouldn’t exactly spark the fireworks fans have been waiting over two years for, it could set off some firecrackers and at least put the team in position to compete with the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers. There is some steam to this rumor also. As CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely reported Friday, the Celtics have talked to the Magic about acquiring the 26-year-old double-double big man.
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With the Magic struggling this season, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could get the center at a moderate price that would not involve giving up their more valuable assets. Quite frankly, this is a deal the Celtics have to move on.
What Vucevic would bring to the Celtics
The Celtics are admirable at every position except center. Vucevic would not only add size to the front court, he would be an upgrade from Amir Johnson in both scoring and rebounding. He is averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game to go along with 2.8 assists. Having that inside presence would allow Al Horford to be more of a stretch forward and take rebounding pressure off players like Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley.
More importantly for the Celtics, Vucevic could be looking for a fresh start on a playoff contender. In his six seasons in the NBA, he has played on teams competing more for lottery position rather than striving to play meaningful basketball come May and June.
Vucevic would also come with a team-friendly contract with two years remaining. So the value of his addition would not only benefit the Celtics the remainder of this season, but also the next two seasons at least.
As far as any possible distraction for the player himself, Vucevic told Blakely that he is trying to remain focus on playing good basketball.
"“You try not to pay too much attention to it and focus on what you can do,” Vucevic said via CSNNE.com. “And you just focus on what you can do which is your play and do your best to help the team win.”"
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Hopefully he will be focusing on helping the Boston Celtics win prior or after the NBA deadline on Feb. 23.