Centers Possibly Available

[hwangjini_1]

Slim pickings.

Are any of these options actually better than Queta?  Maybe Claxton, but is he worth $20M-$25M for the next 3 seasons?  He is shooting better FT% this season which is huge for him.

Yeah, Claxton seems a little overpaid. He would offer a good alternative to Queta in the rotation. Claxton could play 24 minutes & Queta the other 24.

Trade Idea

Boston Celtics: Nic Claxton

Brooklyn Nets: Simons, Gonzalez, Tillman

i think claxton is a nice complement to queta, and a bit of an upgrade. but this is paying too much in my mind.

i really think gonzalez is going to be a good nba player. i would rather give up hauser, and i am a hauser fan.

[paintitgreen]

Part of the Bulls reverting to themselves the last couple of weeks included Vucevic expressing frustration with the team and his teammates. A locker room rift might make them willing to trade him for Simons straight up. Bulls can add up to $18 million in salary before they hit their first apron hard cap. A straight swap drops the Celtics below the second apron, though still about $6 million above the tax, saving nearly $22 million in tax ($28 million overall counting the salary difference). Vooch is probably not a long-term solution, he has definitely regressed as would be expected from a 35 year old but still hitting 38% of threes after hitting for 40 last year, playing 30 minutes a night and grabbing 16 and 9.5. But for the financial impact, I have been majorly in favor of trying to pull this off all year. That said, I think if Vucevic was to be available, there would be better offers than Simons and nothing else. And I wouldn't really want to include any real asset to do this.

[paintitgreen]

Also, re picks:

Celtics have their own first rounders in 2026, 2027, 2028 (subject to SA pick swap rights), 2030, 2031 and 2032 - they cannot trade 2028, 2030 or 2032 (2032 is frozen, can be unfrozen in 2028 if the Celtics stay below the second apron), and cannot trade both 2026 and 2027. So they have two available to trade.

For second rounders, the Celtics have 2 this year - best of NO, Portland, Minnesota and New York, and best of Milwaukee, Orlando and Detroit. They might have their own pick in 2028 if it's between 31 and 45. They have no second rounders in 2027, 2029 or 2030. They have the worse of their own and Cleveland's picks in 2031 and their own in 2032. So just be aware that four second rounders is all Boston has through 2032.

[Phantom255x]

I'd be fine giving up Simons + a future non-2026 first rounder for Vucevic. Same for Claxton, even if BKN really wants THIS year's first.

My dream target is Zubac if the Clippers make him available. I'd have no problem doing Simons + 2 future first rounders + 1-2 second rounders for him.