Nikola Vucevic's brief stay with the Celtics is expected to end this summer. Marc Stein reports that the former All-Star center is increasingly viewed as a certainty to switch teams in free agency.
Vucevic turns 36 in October, but his ability to space the floor should still create interest. Teams continue to look for centers who can draw defenders away from the basket, even when other parts of their game have declined.
Boston acquired Vucevic from Chicago on February 5 in the Anfernee Simons trade. He played only 12 games for the Celtics before fracturing his right ring finger against Dallas on March 6. The injury required surgery and kept him out for the next 14 games.
He returned late and finished the regular season with 16 Boston appearances. Vucevic averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 34% from three.
The injury left Boston with little time to integrate him, and Stein's report points toward a quick separation. Vucevic should now enter the market as an experienced floor-spacing option rather than a long-term starting center.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.