I've seen several comments online that the Vucevic trade was primarily about saving money, rather than winning. And, there's no denying that making the trade allowed the Celts to make further moves to get under the tax.
I think that the tax savings were an important, but secondary, consideration. I think Vuc is a very good fit for Joe's system, and a big part of this trade is hoping to resign him in the off-season at a reduced cost. We needed another center, and trading Simons now means we at least have a chance of retaining an asset going forward.
Yes, Mike Felger on Felger and Mazz has been beating this drum the past week, saying it was purely for money, the owner is cheap, etc. Decisions are rarely made for a singular reason as you alluded to, but I don't think they would have done it if they didn't think Vuc would add value. They had the KP TPE that Vuc fit into perfectly and his skill set also fit into the Cs offensive scheme pretty seamlessly. He's a stretch big that rebounds and spaces the floor, a KP lite from an offensive standpoint, that gives them a different look to the players they already have and Joe is huge on different lineups that create different challenges for the opposition to guard. I'm sure they knew of his defensive issues and already know how to incorporate the appropriate defensive schemes to try and mitigate as much of it as they can. And the money worked out, and he is an expiring where they have the chance to extend him for less money and play the Horford role, so all in all a win.
Felger's a loudmouth idiot in general, has limited knowledge about basketball since it's not a sport he's really into and doesn't like the Celtics in general. anything he says about the Celtics should be viewed through a hater's lens.
all of the transactions since the end of last season have the goal of getting under the tax and Brad's done an exceptional job in cutting salaries without gutting the young core or giving up a lot of draft picks to do so and he's put together a pretty competive team in the process. Felger getting p---y about the team getting under the tax to try to reset the repeater penalties while staying competitive is complaining for the sake of complaining - especially when Tatum was projected to miss the whole season this year. If the C's forgo opportunities to improve in the offseason to become serious contenders just to stay under the tax, then owner cheapness may be worth looking into but not this season.
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