At the trade deadline, the Boston Celtics went hunting for a big man to improve their rebounding and size, got their hands on Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls.
And now their big acquisition will be in sweats, stuffed into a tiny black steel chair watching Jayson Tatum’s triumphant return from the best seats in the house.
Boston’s Nikola Vucevic is expected to undergo a procedure on Saturday for his fractured ring finger and miss approximately one month, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/AtHQEzstmI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2026
Here’s where the injury randomly occurred:
#DifferentHere Watch Moussa Cisse fracture Nikola Vučević right ring finger pic.twitter.com/Uk7sH3TEOY
— DJACK (@DJACK_RipCity) March 7, 2026
This season, Vucevic is averaging 15.6 points in 29 minutes a game with 8.6 rebounds, shooting 37% from 3.
Prior to his New England move, Vucevic was playing some of his best basketball, often the best player on the Chicago Bulls, while consistency evaded Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey hit his ceiling on what he is physically capable of on a basketball court (a few years after testing what he is legally capable of in Oklahoma).
On a team without Tatum, Vucevic can throw up double digits most nights.
5 games ago, Vuc put up 28 on the Brooklyn Nets, although, the way Brooklyn is finishing their season, I’m confident me and 4 guys I find shaking in a tent under a Long Island Expressway bridge could run the Nets out of the gym.
Can the Celtics survive without Nikola Vucevic?
The good news is, this is, like, the last week to suffer a month-long injury. Nikola will be back when the playoffs start and in March, with Boston owning the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference, Vucevic won’t be needed until April anyway.
Last week, Celtics center Neemias Queta dropped 27 points and snatched 17 rebounds in a 114-98 pummeling of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Vucevic isn’t really needed at all.
Luka Garza is good for the same buckets.
Nikola is a luxury and with Jayson Tatum back, I don’t even expect to see Vucevic in the Celtics playoff rotation. At 35 years old, on an expiring contract, we may have just witnessed the end of this man’s career.
Farewell to one of Montenegro’s GOATS.
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