Celtics have painfully obvious trade partner for an Anfernee Simons swap

The Boston Celtics roster will look dramatically totally different come opening evening, with them having gutted their championship core. Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, and Luke Kornet are all gone, leaving them with a dramatically totally different roster that might wrestle if they do not deal with their largest flaw, heart.

Nonetheless, they might resolve that by concentrating on Chicago Bulls heart Nikola Vucevic. They even have the right commerce piece, Anfernee Simons, who they acquired from the Portland Path Blazers for Vacation.

It is an attention-grabbing commerce, to say the least, with Simons being probably the most correct high-volume 3-point shooters within the NBA. In the meantime, Vucevic is coming off his finest season in recent times, averaging 18.5 factors and 10.1 rebounds and drilling 40.2% on 4.4 3-point makes an attempt per sport. That might make the 2 gamers excellent to be swapped for each other.

The Chicago Bulls are the right commerce companion for the Boston Celtics

With Porzingis, Horford, and Kornet all gone, the Celtics solely have two facilities on the roster, doubtlessly a 3rd in the event that they signal Charles Bassey, who’s enjoying on their Summer season League crew. Nonetheless, none of them are beginning caliber. That will increase the necessity for them to make a commerce for Vucevic.

Whereas Boston might be dramatically worse with out Jayson Tatum for all of subsequent season, they need to nonetheless be adequate to be a top-four crew within the Japanese Convention. This alone might present them with an honest likelihood of reaching the Japanese Convention Finals, though they might want to deal with their heart points.

The Celtics have already got good depth at guard with Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Jaylen Brown. And whereas Simons capturing would make sense for the Celtics‘ 3-point-heavy crew, he is extra of a luxurious than a necessity. Swapping him out for Vucevic would give them a stopgap heart and improve their weakest place.

Might an Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević commerce occur?

Make no mistake, he is a foul defender, a lot in order that Bulls followers would possible welcome a Vucevic commerce. Then once more, so is Simons. If the Celtics nonetheless plan to make a deep playoff run, they may want a beginning heart, and Vucevic remains to be one, even at 34 and a half years previous.

If he can nonetheless contribute no less than 15 factors, 10 rebounds, and shoot nicely from deep on excessive quantity, then he could be about pretty much as good because the Celtics can anticipate from a doubtlessly out there heart on the commerce market who is not on an costly long-term contract.

As for the Bulls, they’re unlikely to re-sign Vučević, and whereas they are not particularly deep at heart, Simons could be a wise addition. He would not begin however might carve out a pleasant Sixth-Man position whereas making an attempt to enhance his inventory in a contract yr.

Total, the Celtics might use a beginning heart equivalent to Vucevic, on condition that they noticed three of their large males go away this summer season. Whether or not a Simons-for-Vucevic deal occurs stays to be seen, however the potential deal is smart for the Celtics and Bulls.