1 deal Celtics must make with 2025-26 NBA trade season underway

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1 deal Celtics must make with 2025-26 NBA trade season underway

Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Steve Silverman, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sat, Dec 20, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The Boston Celtics were not making plans for another championship run in the 2025-26 season. When Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles tear in last year's playoffs against the New York Knicks , the immediate thought was he would not be back until the 2026-27 season. As a result, general manager Brad Stevens was able to make multiple moves that allowed the Celtics to pare salary from their roster.

Perhaps Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla were thinking that the current season would be respectable and the Celtics might approach .500, but a long postseason run seemed out of the question. That was the plan written in pencil before the start of the season. Things have not gone according to that original plan.

After beating the Miami Heat Friday night, the Celtics are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference playoff structure, just one-half game behind the Toronto Raptors in 3rd place and 2 1/2 games behind the second place Knicks. The Celtics have performed better than expected and there has also been plenty of talk about the progress that Tatum has made in his his rehab and that he could be back some time this season — and therefore eligible for the playoffs.

Stars have come through, and so have upstarts

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Celtics have certainly gotten strong performances from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White , and both were expected to be leaders on the team without Tatum. Their performance has not been a surprise, but Brown's 29.3 points per game average has exceeded expectations and White has also been a mainstay.

It's not a surprise that Payton Pritchard is averaging 16.4 points per game and hitting clutch shots from beyond the arc once again. Pritchard may no longer be an underrated player around the league because of his ability to string clutch shots together and outmaneuver those trying to defend him.

The Celtics have a winning record and they have developed positive momentum this season. In addition to the team's long-term leaders, Mazzulla has seen center Neemias Queta and guard Jordan Walsh exceed expectations.

Queta is averaging 9.9 points and 8.0 rebounds, and has shown he can operate in the low post. He is connecting on 65.1 percent of his shots and he also has a 2.1-1 assist to turnover ratio.

Walsh has been an all-out hustler on the court and the guard is averaging 7.6 points in 21.3 minutes per game. Walsh plays harassing defense and he has been able to come up with key rebounds (5.1 per game) and steals (1.2 per game).

Trading for Nikola Vucevic could propel Celtics

The return of Tatum could make the Celtics formidable, and the addition of a big man could help the Celtics regain their championship aspirations. This was not viewed as any kind of possibility when Tatum was helped off the floor at Madison Square Garden last May, but it is an idea that deserves consideration.

Stevens will not bring Tatum back before he is pronounced healthy, but there is no doubt he is making progress. "Obviously, he's itching to play," Stevens said , per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe . "Obviously he hates watching. But he's also very cognizant of the need to meet every threshold and why there are those things that are put in place. We've had a lot of great talks about it."

Vucevic appears to be an ideal player for the Celtics to bring into the fold, and he does not appear to be the kind of player that will cost the Celtics very much.

Vucevic is 35 years old and the Bulls have been stuck as a play-in level team for the last few seasons. After a strong start this year, the Bulls have slumped badly and they are currently the No. 10 team in the Eastern Conference with a 12-15 record. The future of the Bulls is with younger players like Coby White , Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis — and not with an older player.

Vucevic could fit right into Boston rotation

Vucevic is averaging 16.1 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Bulls and he has been one of the few players who can take game-ending shots and have a decent chance of making them. At his age, the Bulls are not looking for a huge return. The Celtics could offer multiple second-round draft picks and perhaps a small forward such as Josh Minott as compensation.

Vucevic will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he would clearly be a short-term acquisition. He is earning $21.4 million this season, so the Bulls would have to hold on to a percentage of that salary.

If Tatum is going to come back, the addition of Vucevic could give the Celtics one more scoring option that would give them a real chance to go deep into the NBA playoffs — and possibly make a surprising run to the NBA Finals.

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