Brad Stevens Threads the Needle
The journey out of Second Apron Hell was surprisingly enjoyable
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I’m going to miss Anfernee Simons. Even after I wrote that he was here for a good time, not a long time I started having second thoughts. Maybe there was a world where Simons could stick around, if only for the rest of the season just to see what would happen. A fun little daydream, perhaps, but Brad Stevens doesn’t live in a fantasy world. He lives in the cold, rational universe of an NBA executive who makes calculated decisions without much in the way of sentimentality.
Simons will be a free agent this offseason. As wonderfully as he’s played this season, his game doesn’t really fit with their long-range vision. Stevens’ options were to trade Simons now, or let him leave for nothing this summer. It was only a matter of time until a trade was consummated.
This is nothing new for Stevens. Since taking over the lead decision making role from Danny Ainge in the summer of 2021, he has traded:
Kemba Walker for Al Horford
Romeo Langford for Derrick White
Aaron Nesmith for Malcolm Brogdon
Marcus Smart, et al for Kristaps Porzingis
Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams for Jrue Holiday
Kristaps Porzingis for Georges Niang
Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons
And now he’s traded Simons for Nikola Vucevic, an experienced double-double machine in the last year of his contract who can still give you 17-and-9 while making a respectable number of 3-pointers. There are second round picks going back and forth, but not first rounders. That’s the critical difference between now and earlier this season when the two teams began trade talks. The Bulls asked for a first rounder. Stevens wisely said no. Time passes and here we are with Simons going to Chicago and Vooch coming to Boston.
I’ll miss Simons for his Vinnie Johnson-esque ability to change the game as soon as he steps on the floor, but Vucevic offers a significant upgrade at their biggest position of need. Vooch’s shooting and floor spacing can be vital for a team that lives on the perimeter. Plus, he can get a rebound, make a pass, and even facilitate a little offense. In theory, he should fit in well with Jayson Tatum.
Defense, however, is not his strong suit. It will be interesting to see how the 35-year-old Vucevic takes to being coached by Joe Mazzulla, who makes effort a non-negotiable part of playing time. No more half-hearted rotations from the big fella or we’re looking at Nenad Kristic Redux.
If nothing else, Vucevic’s arrival lessens the burden on Neemias Queta to be The Guy and makes Luka Garza largely redundant. Still, I’m not sold on Vucevic immediately supplanting Queta in the starting lineup. What this trade does is provide a measure of security in case of injury, matchup, or a bout with the postseason yips.
With Xavier Tilllman and Chris Boucher already getting DNPs, the Celtics’ thin frontcourt is now a bit overstuffed. One wonders if Stevens can do something else with his surplus of veteran bigs to get someone for the backcourt. (The Keon Ellis chatter makes a ton more sense now.)
The Simons-Vucevic trade isn’t official yet, and probably won’t be until right up until Thursday’s deadline. Perhaps the C’s could expand the deal with Chicago to get in on either Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu to bolster the backcourt. (Give me Ayo, please.)
Most significantly, this trade gets the Celtics under the first luxury tax apron. That’s important to the bottom line – roughly $22 million worth of savings – but it’s even more important to regain roster flexibility. Vucevic will fit nicely into the Kristaps Porzingis trade exception, which opens up another $27 million trade exception to be potentially utilized this summer. Say this for the Celtics, they never skimp on the salary cap details. (Mike Zarren says hello.)
All of that is icing on the proverbial cake. To think the Celtics began the summer trapped in second apron hell and are now safely below the first apron line without having to give up any first round picks, while also remaining tied for second in the Eastern Conference standings is frankly mind-boggling. Stevens received a lot of justifiable credit for constructing a championship team. His work tearing it down and rebuilding on the fly may have been even better.