1 deal the Celtics must make in the 2025-26 NBA trade season

The Boston Celtics they made no plans for another championship run in 2025-26. When Jayson Tatum he went down with an Achilles tear in last year’s playoffs against the New York Knicks, and it was immediately thought he wouldn’t return until the 2026-27 season. As a result, general manager Brad Stevens was able to make multiple moves that allowed the Celtics to shed salary from their roster.

Perhaps Stevens and head coach Joe Macula thought the current season would be respectable and The Celtics could come close .500, but a long postseason seemed out of the question. That was the plan written in pencil before the start of the season. Things did not go according to that original plan.

After beating the Miami Heat on Friday night, the Celtics are in No. 4 in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, just a half game behind the No. 3 Toronto Raptors and 2 1/2 games behind the second-place Knicks. The Celtics have played better than expected, and there has also been plenty of talk about the progress Tatum has made in his rehab and that he could return some time this season — and therefore qualify for the playoffs.

Gone are the stars and so are the rookies

The Celtics certainly got strong games from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and both were expected to be leaders on a team without Tatum. Their performance was no surprise, but Brown’s 29.3 points per game average exceeded expectations, and White was also a mainstay.

It’s no surprise that Peyton Pritchard is averaging 16.4 points per game and is once again hitting clutch shots from beyond the arc. Pritchard may no longer be the most underrated player in the league because of his ability to connect shots and outplay those trying to defend him.

The Celtics they have a winning record and have developed positive momentum this season. Along with the team’s longtime leaders, Macula has seen center Neemias Cueta and guard Jordan Walsh exceed expectations.

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

Walsh has been a versatile player on the court, with the guard averaging 7.6 points in 21.3 minutes per game. Walsh plays disruptive defense and has been able to come up with key rebounds (5.1 per game) and steals (1.2 per game).

Trading for Nikola Vucevic could start the 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 wasn’t considered a possibility when Tatum was helped off the floor at Madison Square Garden last May, but it’s an idea that deserves consideration.

Stevens won’t bring Tatum back before he’s declared healthy, but there’s no question he’s making progress. “Obviously, he’s dying to play,” Stevens saidafter Adam Himmelsbach from The Boston Globe. “Obviously he hates to watch. But he’s also very aware of the need to meet every threshold and why there are these things that are put in place. We’ve had a lot of great conversations about that.”

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

Vucevic is 35 years old, and the last few seasons the Bulls have been stuck as a team with a level of play. After a strong start this year, the Bulls have fallen off hard and are currently the 10th ranked team in the Eastern Conference at 12-15. The Bulls’ future lies with younger players like Kobe White, Josh Giddy and Matas Bouzelis — not older players.

Vucevic could fit right into Boston’s rotation

Vucevic is averaging 16.1 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Bulls and is one of the few players who can shoot until the end of the game and have decent chances to make them. At his age, the Bulls aren’t looking for a huge return. The Celtics could offer multiple second-round draft picks and perhaps a small forward like Josh Minot as compensation.

Vucevic will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he would obviously be a short-term acquisition. He earns 21.4 million dollars this season, so the Bulls would have to retain a percentage of that salary.

If Tatum is going to return, the addition of Vucevic could give the Celtics another scoring option that would give them a real shot at making a deep run in the NBA playoffs — and perhaps a surprise berth in the NBA Finals.