Celtics Would Land $60 Million All-Star Center in Major Trade Proposal

The Boston Celtics have been active this offseason, but it’s clear a lot of their decisions weren’t made with full confidence — they were moves of necessity, not preference.

Forced to make some tough calls to avoid sliding further down the pecking order, Boston has taken steps to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting landscape. And while they've already made some noise, signs point to the Celtics not being finished just yet. More big moves could be on the way.

After losing the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford, it is clear that the Celtics need to bolster their frontcourt. 

Losing those players will certainly be detrimental for the C's, but they could just be one trade away from bolstering that position.

Cal Durrett of Hoops Habit proposed this massive trade that would see the Celtics acquire All-Star center Nikola Vucevic in exchange for Anfernee Simons. 

"Vucevic will be entering the final season of his contract and could be a prime trade target for the Celtics, who are in need of a stopgap starting center. He would fit the bill, considering he averaged an impressive 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds and shot a terrific 40.2% from 3 on four-plus attempts per game." 

The Celtics have reportedly been doing everything they can to move on from Simons.

Simons was acquired in the deal that sent Holiday out of Boston — a trade that felt more like a necessity than a preference for the Celtics' front office.

While Simons doesn’t exactly fit what Boston needs right now, someone like Vucevic might. He’s no longer in his prime, but the 34-year-old still has enough left in the tank to contribute. Entering the final year of his three-year deal, Vucevic could serve as a quality short-term addition.

He likely wouldn’t push Boston over the top as far as title contention, but he’s the type of veteran piece that could help them stay competitive across the regular season and into the playoffs.

Last season with the Chicago Bulls, Vucevic was his solid self and was available for most of the season. He averaged 18.5 points per game, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three in 73 games and 31.2 minutes of action.