Celtics 2025-2026 Discussion

[RobertWeathers]

I am still of the opinion that trading Hauser is the right move, not Simons. Simons is anchoring the second unit and his +/- is pretty incredible. If they move Simons, they need to get his 13 pts/gm from another bench player & I just don't see that player sitting there. That player certainly isn't Hauser, who is not even matching last year's numbers.

Agree 100%. They need an athletic, mid-range big that can play D and rebound. They need more efficiency from the position.

Simons represents big $$ but they need his offense.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I am still of the opinion that trading Hauser is the right move, not Simons. Simons is anchoring the second unit and his +/- is pretty incredible. If they move Simons, they need to get his 13 pts/gm from another bench player & I just don't see that player sitting there. That player certainly isn't Hauser, who is not even matching last year's numbers.

Simons is in his last contract year while Hauser is under contract for another 3 years at $10 mil a year so I'd think that Simons is the preferred trade bait.

Both contract situations have their value for that matter - I guess it depends on who they want and what the other team wants for the player.

One guy that should be very high on Stevens' radar is Zubac with the Clippers.

He'd more than replace Simons 13 points off the bench PLUS he's good for double digit rebounds. He's the type of player the Celtics lack, and he's under contract for 3 more years as well.

Whether or not Tatum comes back (and I think he will) they still need a rebounding center who's good for 10-15 points, and he could serve in that capacity for a few years at least. If they have to give up a few first round picks I'm fine with that too as for a team like the Celtics, they almost prefer 2nd round picks for developmental players to fill the ranks.

Ivica Zubac - Indiana Pacers Center - ESPN

View the profile of Indiana Pacers Center Ivica Zubac on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

 

[JoeSixPat]

Agree 100%. They need an athletic, mid-range big that can play D and rebound. They need more efficiency from the position.

Simons represents big $$ but they need his offense.

As mentioned, seeing as a guy like Zubac averaging a double double on points and rebounds is what the Cs sorely lack - and apparently he's available.

Ivica Zubac - Indiana Pacers Center - ESPN

View the profile of Indiana Pacers Center Ivica Zubac on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

But I'm among those who always liked the Simons trade, knowing it was mostly about the luxury tax.

One way or another Simons is looking at a big pay cut from the $27 mil a season he's currently making. I could absolutely see the Celtics re-signing him if the price is right, so I'm not one to want to push him out the door with a trade.

That being said, while I don't give a crap what the Celtics pay in luxury tax, the owners do - and trading away Simons and acquiring Zubac would save them an additional $10 mil this season and I think that might drop them below any remaining luxury level.

 

[bresna]

Simons is in his last contract year while Hauser is under contract for another 3 years at $10 mil a year so I'd think that Simons is the preferred trade bait.

Both contract situations have their value for that matter - I guess it depends on who they want and what the other team wants for the player.

One guy that should be very high on Stevens' radar is Zubac with the Clippers.

He'd more than replace Simons 13 points off the bench PLUS he's good for double digit rebounds. He's the type of player the Celtics lack, and he's under contract for 3 more years as well.

Whether or not Tatum comes back (and I think he will) they still need a rebounding center who's good for 10-15 points, and he could serve in that capacity for a few years at least. If they have to give up a few first round picks I'm fine with that too as for a team like the Celtics, they almost prefer 2nd round picks for developmental players to fill the ranks.

Ivica Zubac - Indiana Pacers Center - ESPN

View the profile of Indiana Pacers Center Ivica Zubac on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

Valid points but it would signal a slight shift in the offense, as Zubac doesn't shoot 3s at all, so they'd be moving Simons' points down low. The second team would need someone to take up Simons' shots from the perimeter still.

I'd still be up for almost any trade that brings in a rebounding center and Zubac would certainly fit the bill.

How does the cap work once the season starts? It seems like the Clippers are currently just under the first apron limit by $1.3 Million. A straight 2025-26 salary swap of Zubac for Simons ($18.1 Million for $27 Million) would seemingly put the Clippers well onto the first apron, something they probably don't want to do.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Valid points but it would signal a slight shift in the offense, as Zubac doesn't shoot 3s at all, so they'd be moving Simons' points down low. The second team would need someone to take up Simons' shots from the perimeter still.

I'd still be up for almost any trade that brings in a rebounding center and Zubac would certainly fit the bill.

How does the cap work once the season starts? It seems like the Clippers are currently just under the first apron limit by $1.3 Million. A straight 2025-26 salary swap of Zubac for Simons ($18.1 Million for $27 Million) would seemingly put the Clippers well onto the first apron, something they probably don't want to do.

Maybe the Clippers have a 2nd throw-in player to even up the salary transfer? Maybe Hauser plus a 2nd player?

 

[JoeSixPat]

Valid points but it would signal a slight shift in the offense, as Zubac doesn't shoot 3s at all, so they'd be moving Simons' points down low. The second team would need someone to take up Simons' shots from the perimeter still.

I'd still be up for almost any trade that brings in a rebounding center and Zubac would certainly fit the bill.

How does the cap work once the season starts? It seems like the Clippers are currently just under the first apron limit by $1.3 Million. A straight 2025-26 salary swap of Zubac for Simons ($18.1 Million for $27 Million) would seemingly put the Clippers well onto the first apron, something they probably don't want to do.

I could envision a three way trade with someone like the Utah Jazz as a sink if avoiding additional luxury tax (or getting under the cap) is the goal.

Utah has a whopping $43 mil in cap space (if I'm reading these right) and I think Stevens knows someone in their front office

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/utah-jazz/tax

I've seen some other projected trades where the Jazz are a proposed third party for this reason I think and we've seen Ainge a wiling partner on the Niang trade. Speaking of which, Utah C Jusuf Nurkić who is also close to a double double guy, is a free agent in the offseason and could also be a potential trade or free agent target.

While I'm among the Simons fans, he'll not be getting the same minutes he does now once Tatum returns

Speaking of which, we saw a nearly unstoppable rotation with Tatum/Porzingas/Brown and White/Pritchard out there in terms of moving the ball inside or finding a wide open guy outside - so having that scoring and rebounding weapon inside can really lead to a complete domination of any game.

Unfortunately even before Tatum went down, Porzingas' health issues seemed to undermine that and they didn't seem poised for a run.

I think adding a guy like Zubac can give us that for the next several years and I would hope Stevens would make that move even if it meant paying more tax - as they will be spending more next season at the C position regardless. This may be the best opportunity to land someone in a reasonable salary range as I don't think they will be in the running for one of the $30 million plus Centers in free agency.

 

[Kdo5]

The Celtics are a well oiled machine! And way more fun to watch than last season.

JB and Mazzula are having an amazing season that is easily exceeding expectations. JB is #1 on a championship-level team and Mazzula is one of the best coaches in the league.

 

[bresna]

As mentioned, seeing as a guy like Zubac averaging a double double on points and rebounds is what the Cs sorely lack - and apparently he's available.

Ivica Zubac - Indiana Pacers Center - ESPN

View the profile of Indiana Pacers Center Ivica Zubac on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

But I'm among those who always liked the Simons trade, knowing it was mostly about the luxury tax.

One way or another Simons is looking at a big pay cut from the $27 mil a season he's currently making. I could absolutely see the Celtics re-signing him if the price is right, so I'm not one to want to push him out the door with a trade.

That being said, while I don't give a crap what the Celtics pay in luxury tax, the owners do - and trading away Simons and acquiring Zubac would save them an additional $10 mil this season and I think that might drop them below any remaining luxury level.

Zubac was not very impressive last night. I suppose he may still have some ankle issue affecting his play but it was interesting to see the Clips started 37 year old Brock Lopez over him. I think I'd rather have Simons' 3 rebounds and 15 points than Zubac's 7 rebounds and 4 points.

That said, this was Jaylen Brown's night. Dropping 50 was pretty insane. It makes you wonder if he was sending a message to NBA for picking Brunson over him for Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December even though Brown had better numbers than him.

 

[BTTA]

The guys could beat any team in the east in a playoff series now. They wouldn't be favored against some, but they'd have a legitimate shot. Fun to watch and great to have the young coach validated.

 

[jimnance]

I didn't renew my League Pass this year since I figured a washout. So I've only seen them a few times on national broadcasts and been impressed each time.
Gonzales has brought more to the table as a young rook than I expected. Love the way this kid plays. Walsh has continued to improve, as has Queta. And if course, Brown,White,Pritchard are the anchors.
Brown has really elevated his game. I have big respect and appreciation for what he's doing. Don't know how much Tatum will be able to contribute this season- we'll see. I'm sure he'll less than 100% of hus peak but even 80-90% that is a major asset.
So time to fork over the $ and renew League Pass.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I didn't renew my League Pass this year since I figured a washout. So I've only seen them a few times on national broadcasts and been impressed each time.
Gonzales has brought more to the table as a young rook than I expected. Love the way this kid plays. Walsh has continued to improve, as has Queta. And if course, Brown,White,Pritchard are the anchors.
Brown has really elevated his game. I have big respect and appreciation for what he's doing. Don't know how much Tatum will be able to contribute this season- we'll see. I'm sure he'll less than 100% of hus peak but even 80-90% that is a major asset.
So time to fork over the $ and renew League Pass.

Gonzo is so freaking active and disruptive. A pleasant surprise indeed.

If Brown keeps this up he should get a decent amount of MVP votes.

 

[bresna]

I don't know how anyone watching that game last night would still think trading Simons is a good move. No Simons last night and that game is a lot closer at the end.

 

[Kdo5]

I don't know how anyone watching that game last night would still think trading Simons is a good move. No Simons last night and that game is a lot closer at the end.

Simon’s shooting single handedly kept the game from being one possession or even a loss. Continuously matched their shot making.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Zubac was not very impressive last night. I suppose he may still have some ankle issue affecting his play but it was interesting to see the Clips started 37 year old Brock Lopez over him. I think I'd rather have Simons' 3 rebounds and 15 points than Zubac's 7 rebounds and 4 points.

That said, this was Jaylen Brown's night. Dropping 50 was pretty insane. It makes you wonder if he was sending a message to NBA for picking Brunson over him for Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December even though Brown had better numbers than him.

That was his first game back after an ankle injury. There are more reports linking Zubac to the Celtics since then but I would think there's universal agreement they should NOT trade Simons. If anything Hauser would be the one to include. The Clippers supposedly want two 1st round draft picks too - which I'd be fine with for a guy who is a strong banger in the middle who can claim a double double each night.

Simons has played his way into a new contract next season - IF he really wants to win, because he's not getting close to the $27 mil a season.

And yes, while Pritchard moves to the bench when Tatum comes back, he'll be on limited minutes for this season so I think there's room for Simons, Pritchard AND Tatum - plus Zubac in the middle, which solves the C problem they were planning on addressing next season, now.

Hauser has been playing over 20 minutes anyways so I think plenty of playing time for all to be had.

While I applaud Garza and Queta at every opportunity, I still look at them as solid backups for a contending Celtics team.

But a C like Zubac alone, even if Tatum comes back, I think vaults the Cs to the top team in the east and up to the task of beating OKC

Adding Tatum and Zubac creates the dynamic we saw with Porzingas in his prime - nearly unstoppable. Add to that Brown, White, Pritchard, Simons with all the now well seasoned, young, fresh legs on the bench, and they could win it all this year, with no need to go shopping for a C next season.

Simons and Pritchard getting the bench minutes more than replaces Hauser and meanwhile we've seen Minot and Gonzales able to contribute more than we expected. They've also shown that later picks can really pay off - with the Cs valuing their non guaranteed 2nd round picks more than their late round 1sts given their plan to contend for the next several seasons.

I really hope Stevens makes a move of this nature.

 

[jimnance]

Jokic not playing tonight. Disappointing.
Dude is still the best player on the planet.
I never like it when the C's Pats, Sox or B's are facing a team missing their best player.
But if course the C's have played every game thus season w/o  their best player.
And look at em.
Still, beating Denver  with Jokic gives the C's a bigger boost tham beating em without.
So a different challenge tonight. How to stay focused and not ease up on the gas pedal.
It can be dangerous. How many times have we seen a team missing their best player pull off the upset? Happens all the time.
Go C's

 

[bresna]

Why don't the refs treat Jaylen Brown like any other player? I just don't get it. They allow him to get fouled and fouled and fouled with no calls. This game was terrible.

 

[Zuma]

IMO the team needs to be stronger. Tatum coming back wont bring us to the promise land. We're close....but not there.

 

[jimnance]

IMO the team needs to be stronger. Tatum coming back wont bring us to the promise land. We're close....but not there.

Probably not but Tatum + Zubic? That's a championship- caliber squad

 

[Zuma]

Probably not but Tatum + Zubic? That's a championship- caliber squad

Yeah...could be right

 

[bresna]

Brown just dared the NBA to fine him after last night's "********" refereeing, where he even called out one official by name.

“It Was Some ********“: Furious Jaylen Brown Invites NBA Punishment After Venting on Officials



I agree with Brown 100%. There is something going on here and if it takes Brown getting fined, I'm all for it. Someone in the NBA offices should be looking at these games and fixing this. It's making a mockery of the game. You can't call a touch foul on one end and let a guy get hacked on the other. It's not a good look for the NBA, especially with the gambling scandals they're in right now.