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Nikola Vucevic got his wish in trade from Bulls to Celtics
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- Nikola Vucevic got his wish in trade from Bulls to Celtics
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On Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls shook up things in the NBA. First, they were part of a three-way trade with the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves . In the end, they traded Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric to the Pistons and got guards Mike Conley Jr. and Jaden Ivey in return.
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Shortly thereafter, the Bulls traded veteran center Nikola Vucevic to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Anfernee Simons . In the process, they also received a second-round pick from the Celtics, per Bulls on CHSN.
Vucevic, 35, has been in the NBA since 2013 from Morges, Switzerland. He would go on to play seven seasons with the Orlando Magic . In 2021, Vucevic was traded to the Bulls. This season, he played in 48 games in Chicago and is averaging 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Additionally, he was clutch in big moments. Vucevic found himself hitting big shots that led the Bulls to a couple of key victories.
In November, he capped off a 24-point comeback against the Pistons with a winning 3-pointer . Later that month, he followed suit with a game-winning 3-pointer on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers .
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Then, Vucevic willed Chicago to victory against the lowly Washington Wizards during another late November game.
Currently, the Bulls are 24-26 on the year, 9th in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics are 31-18, tied with the New York Knicks for the second-best record in the East.
Vucevic ends his six-year stint in Chicago, averaging 18.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. But perhaps more importantly, he leaves with peace of mind.
Nikola Vucevic gets everything he could ask for and then some
Although Vucevic had his fair share of moments, there were obvious signs of discontent . After hitting the winning shot against the Wizards in November, Vucevic wasn't jubilant in victory.
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When interviewed by K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network during the post-game, Jalen Smith and Matas Buzelis were messing around with him, but he clearly didn't want to partake in the partying.
In December, Vucevic opened up to Julia Pope of The Chicago Tribune about his perplexity playing for Chicago.
"It's not always easy, to be honest with you, when the team is struggling, when you are struggling, when things are not going your way," he said. "It's happened a couple times now and sometimes it's hard. Those questions do creep into your mind and you think about it and you get caught into it, especially when things are not going well. I think it's natural, it's human nature, but you just have to find a way to limit it as much as possible."
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Over the course of his time in Chicago, the Bulls made it to the playoffs once in 2022. Ultimately, they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in five games.
Since then, it's been a loop of 40, 39-win seasons and missing the playoffs.
Now, Vucevic will be on a Boston team that has been in the postseason since his second season in the league. In 2024, the Celtics won the NBA championship and last year made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals .
He will be alongside fellow veterans, including Jaylen Brown , Derrick White , Xavier Tillman , Payton Pritchard , and Sam Hauser . Vucevic is expected to be the starting center of a marquee team on its way to the playoffs.
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In the autumn days of his years, Vooch is right where he wants to be.
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