The 2016-2017 NBA trade deadline, which is on February 23 at 3 p.m. ET, is now less than two months away. While there have been no major trades yet, rumors are swirling regarding some of the biggest franchises in the league. One team involved in numerous trade scenarios has been the Boston Celtics, and it appears as though they are being linked to another big man.
As ESPN ‘s Brian Windhorst reports, the Orlando Magic are looking to move center Nikola Vucevic. Picked in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Vucevic was traded to the Magic in the infamous Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard deal. While Bynum never worked out for the 76ers and Howard never worked out for the Lakers, it appeared as though the Magic got a cornerstone player in Vucevic.
https://twitter.com/BstnCelticsNews/status/812798804860817408
While the 26-year-old 7-footer has been solid for the Magic, his numbers have been declining in recent seasons. In 2014-2015, he averaged 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and shot 52.3 percent from the field. In 2015-2016, he averaged 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and shot 51 percent from the field. In 29 games this season, he is averaging 12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and is shooting 44.1 percent from the field. He is also only averaging 27.8 minutes this season. In 2014-2015, he averaged 34.2 minutes, so he is clearly falling out of favor with the organization.
As Forbes reports, it would make sense for the Celtics to inquire about trading for Vucevic.
“Having Vucevic in the middle would allow the Celtics to move Al Horford back to his more natural power forward spot. Vucevic would be a clear offensive upgrade over Amir Johnson in the middle for the Celtics. Boston has been depending heavily on Isaiah Thomas’ offense in the fourth quarter to close out games. That’s a formula that doesn’t figure to be as effective in the postseason. If the team had a low-post presence like Vucevic to work high-low with Horford, it could make their offense more deadly down the stretch.”
Boston has been linked to numerous other big men over the past year. As the Inquisitr recently reported, Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel is unhappy with his role with the team. With Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in the mix, the 76ers just have too many big men. While Noel is just returning from an injury, it appears as though his role with the team has been diminished.
#Celtics should pursue Nerlens Noel, but DeMarcus Cousins? No thanks https://t.co/TpN7gQCQ4Z
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) December 17, 2016
While Noel is limited offensively, Okafor has his problems on the defensive end. It is really going to come down to which player the organization feels can work best with Embiid. If the 76ers decide to keep Noel, then Okafor could be another option for the Celtics. As Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reported, the Celtics actually tried to acquire Okafor during last year’s deadline. They were linked to Noel during the draft last year, so it appears as though their interest in both big men was strong at one point.
Given their ages, Noel or Okafor would be the ideal player for the Celtics. Noel is going to become a restricted free agent after this season, but he is still only 22-years-old. Okafor just turned 21-years-old, so there are still many years for him to develop. At 26-years-old, Vucevic is still fairly young, and there is more than enough time for him to grow with a new franchise. Forbes also notes how friendly his cap figure is.
“Vucevic could be even more valuable to the Celtics because he’s not scheduled to be a free agent until 2019. He still has the remainder of this season and two years left on his contract at an affordable average salary of $12,250,000.”
Whether or not the Celtics pull off a trade for a big man before the trade deadline remains to be seen, but their future appears bright. While they are not likely to make it out of the Eastern Conference this season with LeBron James and the Cavaliers playing at a championship level, they can look forward to three years from now. James will be turning 35-years-old, and the Eastern Conference should be wide open.
[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
