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NBA veteran center Nikola Vucevic is increasingly viewed as a likely departure from the Boston Celtics heading into the offseason, according to reporting from Marc Stein on The Stein Line.

Stein noted that league perception around Vucevic has shifted after his brief late-season role in Boston, with rival teams anticipating he will move on once free agency opens.

The 35-year-old Montenegrin big man arrived in Boston via a February 5 trade that sent Anfernee Simons and a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bulls, with a 2027 second-round pick also heading to Chicago.

Vucevic’s stint in Boston was disrupted by a fractured right ring finger in March, which limited continuity and impacted his ability to establish rhythm within the rotation.

Across the 2025-26 regular season, Vucevic averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, shooting 43.9% from the field in limited minutes across multiple roles for the Celtics.

In the playoffs, his usage remained situational, as Boston leaned heavily on its perimeter core led by Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, while frontcourt minutes were shared across multiple rotation options.

The Celtics finished the 2025-26 regular season 56-26, ranking among the top teams in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Detroit Pistons, but roster construction questions around the center position persisted throughout the year.

Vucevic is set to enter unrestricted free agency on a three-year, $60 million contract cycle, positioning him as a potential veteran target for teams seeking size, spacing, and passing from the center spot.