The Boston Celtics acquired Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls ahead of this year's trade deadline in exchange for Anfernee Simons. A lot of Celtics fans were unhappy with the trade at the time (both because of how well Simons was playing and the questions about Vucevic's defense and overall fit with the team), and those feelings were only multiplied throughout the USC alum's time in Boston.
With Vucevic set to hit unrestricted free agency, as it stands, the Celtics are better off just cutting ties and moving on from him this offseason.
The Celtics shouldn't re-sign Nikola Vucevic this offseason
In 16 regular season games for the Celtics, Vucevic averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. And in six playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers, he averaged just 6.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 37.8/29.2% shooting splits.
Additionally, he was atrocious on the defensive end and never looked like a good fit in Boston's system. It always looked like he was a step too late on things, and that never really worked itself out.
To be fair to Vucevic, he did miss a month of action because of a finger injury he suffered during Jayson Tatum's return game, which made it even more difficult for him to find his rhythm with the team.
The Swiss native wasn't all bad for Boston. He was a good passer for his size and had a knack for knowing where his teammates were on the court, so he would know when to swat rebounds in their direction.
Unfortunately for him, though, that's where the positives end. He couldn't drain any threes, despite being a long-time stretch big, and he just always looked awkward when he was on the court. It mostly made sense why the Celtics made the trade to get him in the first place (remember: Simons is also a UFA this summer, and having him and Payton Pritchard as part of the same second unit would have been redundant), but it's safe to say the team should just put this experiment to an end.
The Celtics already have better center options
It wouldn't be a shock if Boston went out and acquired a new center for depth purposes (or maybe commits to giving Amari Williams more playing time next season), but it has some solid assets on the squad already.
Neemias Queta stepped up in a major way this season following the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet (10.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 BPG, 65.3 FG%, improved defense, and will likely receive Most Improved Player votes). Plus, Garza made the most of his opportunity in Boston and proved he has some talent, too (career highs: 8.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1 APG, 57.7 FG%, 43.3 3FG%)
Their center room might still need some improvement, but there's a lot of potential there, even with Vucevic out of the picture.
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