Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26

[Celts17Pride]

By the way, I'm jumping at Nikola Vucevic for the vet min. if the Bulls buy him out.

[GreenBlooded]

Simmons makes a stronger case if he embraces being a roll man.

A roll man?

He's afraid to walk under the 3pt line. It feels weird to watch him catch a pass & look at the rim atp. He's petrified to do anything close to the hoop. so what good is his offense?

Not really..

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You're cherry picking highlights. He could barely get on the floor in the playoffs.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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The Vucevic Mo Train builds forward...

[flintsky21]

Vooch would be huge. Still a double double machine and shot 40% from 3 last year on 4.4 attempts. Could raise this team's playoff seeding by 2 spots.

Not gonna get my hopes up though. If Vooch's priority is competing for a title next year, he'd probably find the Warriors and Lakers more enticing.

[redslastlaugh]

Id rather play Neemi, Amari, Garza and just rehab X-Man or if X's knee is cooked, package him with a second and bring in the next Theis, a 25 yr old big in Europe with NBA dreams.

I don't want to waste time in this season with Vooch or Ben Simmons or anything like that ...

Other then Cassell and PJ Brown what cashed veteran "big name" did we ever bring in on a minimum that panned out: Troy Murphy? Barbosa? Marbury Mike Sweetney? Mike Finley? Carlos Arroyo? Darko??

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The Vucevic Mo Train builds forward...

[Celts17Pride]

Id rather play Neemi, Amari, Garza and just rehab X-Man or if X's knee is cooked, package him with a second and bring in the next Theis, a 25 yr old big in Europe with NBA dreams.

I don't want to waste time in this season with Vooch or Ben Simmons or anything like that ...

Other then Cassell and PJ Brown what cashed veteran "big name" did we ever bring in on a minimum that panned out: Troy Murphy? Barbosa? Marbury Mike Sweetney? Mike Finley? Carlos Arroyo? Darko??

Read on Twitter

The Vucevic Mo Train builds forward...

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

[redslastlaugh]

Could be. I hope not though, Im still hoping Amari pans out as a quirky nonrecurring event type of center. I like that Brad went so far outside of the box to swing on him.

Obviously, if he has no touch, no jumpshot, no motor, etc ... he isn't gonna last long... but i still have hopes

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

[Bill Lumbergh]

Id rather play Neemi, Amari, Garza and just rehab X-Man or if X's knee is cooked, package him with a second and bring in the next Theis, a 25 yr old big in Europe with NBA dreams.

I don't want to waste time in this season with Vooch or Ben Simmons or anything like that ...

Other then Cassell and PJ Brown what cashed veteran "big name" did we ever bring in on a minimum that panned out: Troy Murphy? Barbosa? Marbury Mike Sweetney? Mike Finley? Carlos Arroyo? Darko??

Read on Twitter

The Vucevic Mo Train builds forward...

Yeah, and I doubt they'd want to bring in vets that might win us two or three more games and cost us a better draft position. Neither of those guys would be here for the long term anyway. Just play the young guys, take your lumps, and get a decent draft pick.

[165bows]

By the way, I'm jumping at Nikola Vucevic for the vet min. if the Bulls buy him out.

Basically into Vuc or Simmons for the 2nd round picks they bring after a trade deadline deal.

Vuc gets real money though is my guess in a new contract.

If not the offense would be kind of sick -White/Simons/Brown/Niang/Vuc would still keep the team at the top of the 3P charts even while most everything else fell apart.

[Celts17Pride]

Could be. I hope not though, Im still hoping Amari pans out as a quirky nonrecurring event type of center. I like that Brad went so far outside of the box to swing on him.

Obviously, if he has no touch, no jumpshot, no motor, etc ... he isn't gonna last long... but i still have hopes

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

Stevens picked Amari Williams and Shulga because he traded down to make sure he took guys that were willing to take two ways. Both players will be gone within two years. People that think otherwise are just getting drunk on the green kool-aid.

[Celts17Pride]

By the way, I'm jumping at Nikola Vucevic for the vet min. if the Bulls buy him out.

Basically into Vuc or Simmons for the 2nd round picks they bring after a trade deadline deal.

Vuc gets real money though is my guess in a new contract.

If not the offense would be kind of sick -White/Simons/Brown/Niang/Vuc would still keep the team at the top of the 3P charts even while most everything else fell apart.

Celtics need center, picking up Vucevic at vet min. is a cheap way to see if he fits.

[165bows]

By the way, I'm jumping at Nikola Vucevic for the vet min. if the Bulls buy him out.

Basically into Vuc or Simmons for the 2nd round picks they bring after a trade deadline deal.

Vuc gets real money though is my guess in a new contract.

If not the offense would be kind of sick -White/Simons/Brown/Niang/Vuc would still keep the team at the top of the 3P charts even while most everything else fell apart.

Celtics need center, picking up Vucevic at vet min. is a cheap way to see if he fits.

Kind of irrelevant if he fits, no?

He's going to be 36 by the time the Celtics are back in a meaningful playoff run and if by some slim chance he is then he's going to want to get paid $$ more than they should pay for him.

I'm fine if he comes here but he just looks like a walking bag of 2nd rounders to me.

[Celts17Pride]

Basically into Vuc or Simmons for the 2nd round picks they bring after a trade deadline deal.

Vuc gets real money though is my guess in a new contract.

If not the offense would be kind of sick -White/Simons/Brown/Niang/Vuc would still keep the team at the top of the 3P charts even while most everything else fell apart.

Celtics need center, picking up Vucevic at vet min. is a cheap way to see if he fits.

Kind of irrelevant if he fits, no?

He's going to be 36 by the time the Celtics are back in a meaningful playoff run and if by some slim chance he is then he's going to want to get paid $$ more than they should pay for him.

I'm fine if he comes here but he just looks like a walking bag of 2nd rounders to me.

You never know, if he fits he might get a two year deal for $10-15 million per. We just had a 39 year old center.

[redslastlaugh]

Could be. I hope not though, Im still hoping Amari pans out as a quirky nonrecurring event type of center. I like that Brad went so far outside of the box to swing on him.

Obviously, if he has no touch, no jumpshot, no motor, etc ... he isn't gonna last long... but i still have hopes

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

Stevens picked Amari Williams and Shulga because he traded down to make sure he took guys that were willing to take two ways. Both players will be gone within two years. People that think otherwise are just getting drunk on the green kool-aid.

The idea that you could draft two players (28 & 32) and get to sign them at very favorable terms for up to 4yrs and then have matching rights via restricted FA but that they're not gonna be willing to sign 2-ways so it's better to trade down to get players who will accept 2-ways.... basically I don't get it...

If you want two guys on 2-ways, just sign whoever is undrafted. Shulga went #57 ... it's a 59 pick draft, he probably wasn't even getting picked so you didn't need to trade assets to acquire Max Shulga on a 2-way most likely ... Brad is the most successful NBA exec of all time, without a draftee with 1 (lol *one*) career win share, truly bizarre way he approaches the draft... i think the good things about the draft, the ability to scout undiscovered talent and lock them up to very favorable contract terms, Brad seems to view it as a negative that you're basically stuck with a young guy you don't want...

[jmr07019]

Who are some players who you would like as the Celtics next center? Not necessarily this year but for a title run when Tatum comes back.

Sabonis makes a lot of sense to me as he’s in the west (meaning his team would be more open to dealing him to Boston) and has the talent needed. I would prefer a more defensive oriented center but talent is the most important thing and the Celtics aren’t in a position to be picky as you don’t want to waste a year of Tatum’s prime without a legit big man.

Gobert / Minni situation is something I am definitely monitoring. Gobert is the ideal guy to put next to White Simons Brown Tatum lineup. It would be an expensive lineup but we should be title favorites. Championships cost $$$. Gobert makes 35 next year, 36.5 the following year and has a player option the following year.

Dallas has a lot of front court talent. Is Flagg a 3? Does a Flagg Davis Center front court have enough shooting? I’m hoping the answers are Flagg is a 4, Mavs slide Davis to the 5 and one of Lively Gafford becomes available. They’re both the right age and on reasonable contracts.

Utah with Markanen and Kessler is interesting. Lauri has the talent, is the right age but playing him at center is going to put a real ceiling on a teams defensive potential.

My favorite scenario from the above is the Dallas one and the Celtics getting Lively.

I would love Bam but I don’t see Miami/Riley trading him to Boston

[redslastlaugh]

Who are some players who you would like as the Celtics next center? Not necessarily this year but for a title run when Tatum comes back.

Sabonis makes a lot of sense to me as he’s in the west (meaning his team would be more open to dealing him to Boston) and has the talent needed.

Gobert / Minni situation is something I am definitely monitoring.

Dallas has a lot of front court talent. Is Flagg a 3? Does a Flagg Davis Center front court have enough shooting? I’m hoping the answers are Flagg is a 4, Mavs slide Davis to the 5 and one of Lively Gafford becomes available. They’re both the right age and on reasonable contracts.

Utah with Markanen and Kessler is interesting. Lauri has the talent, is the right age but playing him at center is going to put a real ceiling on a teams defensive potential.

I would love Bam but I don’t see Miami/Riley trading him to Boston

I think Sabonis is a playoff underperformer. He averages 12pts/7reb in the playoffs and has never won a series.
Gobert seems to not fit into Mazzulla Ball. Brad has really only acquired centers who shoot (unless we're talking minimum guys)
Lively seems like he is injury prone. Gafford is a plug-and-play center in his archetype but he doesn't shoot
Bam had a run when the league was going small and Miami really overarchieved. But the league is going back to 2 big lineups and Bam seems too small to be a fulltime center again and is really now looking overpaid as a versatile 4-man who can't really shoot it.

I think Poeltl would be good, if he becomes available. Hartenstein if/when OKC needs to shed salary. Jarret Allen from the Cavs, i still like.
A lot of todays starting level centers were 2nd round picks (Hartenstein, MitchRob, Claxton, Gafford, Zubac) so maybe one of the later picked big men is going to be on a big improvement arc and will be a starter in a couple of years (Quinton Post, Adem Bona, Kalkbrenner, etc) and maybe Brad goes after someone who is not presently considered starter quality

[darrendaye]

Who are some players who you would like as the Celtics next center? Not necessarily this year but for a title run when Tatum comes back.

Sabonis makes a lot of sense to me as he’s in the west (meaning his team would be more open to dealing him to Boston) and has the talent needed. I would prefer a more defensive oriented center but talent is the most important thing and the Celtics aren’t in a position to be picky as you don’t want to waste a year of Tatum’s prime without a legit big man.

Gobert / Minni situation is something I am definitely monitoring. Gobert is the ideal guy to put next to White Simons Brown Tatum lineup. It would be an expensive lineup but we should be title favorites. Championships cost $$$. Gobert makes 35 next year, 36.5 the following year and has a player option the following year.

Dallas has a lot of front court talent. Is Flagg a 3? Does a Flagg Davis Center front court have enough shooting? I’m hoping the answers are Flagg is a 4, Mavs slide Davis to the 5 and one of Lively Gafford becomes available. They’re both the right age and on reasonable contracts.

Utah with Markanen and Kessler is interesting. Lauri has the talent, is the right age but playing him at center is going to put a real ceiling on a teams defensive potential.

My favorite scenario from the above is the Dallas one and the Celtics getting Lively.

I would love Bam but I don’t see Miami/Riley trading him to Boston

For 26/27? Horford, Porzingis and Rob, see which one or two make it through the playoffs. Have to draft one at some point though. Hopefully they are in a pick range to do so in 2026.

[brackdan70]

Id rather play Neemi, Amari, Garza and just rehab X-Man or if X's knee is cooked, package him with a second and bring in the next Theis, a 25 yr old big in Europe with NBA dreams.

I don't want to waste time in this season with Vooch or Ben Simmons or anything like that ...

Other then Cassell and PJ Brown what cashed veteran "big name" did we ever bring in on a minimum that panned out: Troy Murphy? Barbosa? Marbury Mike Sweetney? Mike Finley? Carlos Arroyo? Darko??

Read on Twitter

The Vucevic Mo Train builds forward...

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

Vucevic will be gone in 1 year….

[brackdan70]

Who are some players who you would like as the Celtics next center? Not necessarily this year but for a title run when Tatum comes back.

Sabonis makes a lot of sense to me as he’s in the west (meaning his team would be more open to dealing him to Boston) and has the talent needed. I would prefer a more defensive oriented center but talent is the most important thing and the Celtics aren’t in a position to be picky as you don’t want to waste a year of Tatum’s prime without a legit big man.

Gobert / Minni situation is something I am definitely monitoring. Gobert is the ideal guy to put next to White Simons Brown Tatum lineup. It would be an expensive lineup but we should be title favorites. Championships cost $$$. Gobert makes 35 next year, 36.5 the following year and has a player option the following year.

Dallas has a lot of front court talent. Is Flagg a 3? Does a Flagg Davis Center front court have enough shooting? I’m hoping the answers are Flagg is a 4, Mavs slide Davis to the 5 and one of Lively Gafford becomes available. They’re both the right age and on reasonable contracts.

Utah with Markanen and Kessler is interesting. Lauri has the talent, is the right age but playing him at center is going to put a real ceiling on a teams defensive potential.

My favorite scenario from the above is the Dallas one and the Celtics getting Lively.

I would love Bam but I don’t see Miami/Riley trading him to Boston

Sabonis and Gobert are too expensive.
Lively would be great, Gafford a maybe, Kessler would be alright.
I’d like to see how Queta progresses given more PT first…same for Garza.

[Hal14]

Could be. I hope not though, Im still hoping Amari pans out as a quirky nonrecurring event type of center. I like that Brad went so far outside of the box to swing on him.

Obviously, if he has no touch, no jumpshot, no motor, etc ... he isn't gonna last long... but i still have hopes

Amari will be gone in 2 years, Tillman will be gone before the season starts.

Stevens picked Amari Williams and Shulga because he traded down to make sure he took guys that were willing to take two ways. Both players will be gone within two years. People that think otherwise are just getting drunk on the green kool-aid.

So just because he is starting his career on a 2-way, that means he'll never amount to anything?

That's really shortsighted thinking. Here's just some of the players who started out on a 2-way:

Sam Hauser
Austin Reaves
GG Jackson
Jay Huff
Caleb Martin
Alex Caruso
Jose Alvarado
Max Strus
Aaron Wiggins
Duncan Robinson
Gabe Vincent
Keon Ellis

Not to mention many other good players who were drafted later in the 2nd round or were UDFA but weren't on 2-way contracts because they didn't exist until the 17-18 season (such as Fred VanVleet, Jokic, Ben Wallace, Brad Miller, Isaiah Thomas, Luke Kornet, etc.)