In what appears to be Memphis’ second step to a rebuild (trading Desmond Bane was the first), here’s my initial read on what it means for fantasy hoops.
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The New Situation in Utah
For fantasy purposes, I don’t like it — Utah is already managing minutes for guys like Lauri Markkanen, so it’ll likely happen for JJJ too. And I honestly don’t like it in real life either. Three picks for JJJ?! That’s a lot to mortgage for a big man who doesn’t rebound. Still, it’ll likely look better once Walker Kessler is back. I guess I’m surprised the Jazz were buyers in the midst of having one of the worst records in the league. I doubt Utah is finished trading, so I should probably reserve some of my disdain for the trade.
Back to JJJ’s fit with Utah for now. It’s a fun fantasy-friendly offense that could sustain his fantasy value in the games that he’s active. His peripheral and defensive stats will be fine for 9-cat. However, I’d expect his shot volume to dip when sharing the court with Keyonte George and Markkanen.
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The verdict: I’ve never advocated for JJJ in fantasy and playing for the tanking Jazz isn’t ideal. In the short term, I’d assess how he looks with his new team, but be ready to sell high the moment he has a spike in performance.
Memphis Side: Who Benefits?
Ja Morant is recovering from an elbow injury through the All-Star break, but I doubt he’ll be with Memphis beyond Thursday. Now that JJJ’s gone, the Grizzlies have officially pivoted to rebuild mode.
Santi Aldama is the leading frontcourt player left standing after this deal. I’d hope Zach Edey can find his way back to the court soon, because he’ll be the biggest beneficiary in the long term. I’d also hold Ty Jerome in all formats, even with Clayton coming over from Utah. Cam Spencer’s value lessened, but he’ll still be in the rotation until Scotty Pippen Jr. is ready to make his return to the court.
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Another short-term hold is Isaiah Collier. He no longer has to have minutes taken away from Clayton, and with George nursing an ankle injury, fantasy managers can continue to stream him for now.
What about Jusuf Nurkić?
His days are numbered. Given his contract and Utah’s decision to acquire Landale, the Jazz will likely try to move Nurk now that he’s restored his value after last year’s disaster. I’d hold him for one more game and then evaluate the landscape by Thursday’s deadline.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — K’Lavon Chaisson had a fairly common start to his career, and it wasn’t one that should have given him confidence that he’d be starting in a Super Bowl just a couple years later.
Chaisson was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, selected 20th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s hard to say he wasn’t a bust there, after just five sacks in 57 games.
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There’s no way he could have figured on being where he was on Tuesday, answering questions ahead of Super Bowl LX.
“Actually I did,” Chaisson said.
Chaisson explained that a couple years ago, he and his girlfriend were in Mexico watching the Super Bowl on television. He turned his phone on and made a video to himself, which he still keeps in his notes.
“I kind of just recorded, just telling myself ‘We’re not supposed to be here. We’re supposed to be at the big one,’” Chaisson said.
“I understood, I’ve got a bigger calling than where I was at. It was just a matter of time. I put it all in God’s plan, but I knew exactly where I belonged.”
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That was ambitious and the path was not common. There were still more obstacles before he got to the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, and not just as a small role player. Chaisson signed a modest one-year, $3 million deal before this season. That’s backup money in the NFL. But Chaisson became a starter and had a good season, getting 7.5 sacks. That’s more than he had his entire career in Jacksonville.
It’s not unusual for former first-round picks to get second, third and fourth chances in the NFL even after they’ve gotten off to slow starts. It is fairly rare for those players to completely change the narrative of their career the way Chaisson has. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who Chaisson will be chasing on Sunday, is part of that group. But it’s not typical, even if Chaisson insists he never lost hope.
“More than grateful, for sure,” Chaisson said.
New England Patriots outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson celebrates after the AFC championship game. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
(Jamie Schwaberow via Getty Images)
K’Lavon Chaisson writes a new story
The Jaguars hoped they were getting a difference-making pass rusher with Chaisson, who starred for LSU’s dominant 2019 national champion. All teams dream of getting a star from their first-round pick. It didn’t happen, or even come close. Chaisson had just one sack in each of his first three NFL seasons, then two in his fourth season. That was it for his time with the Jaguars. In 57 games he made almost no impact.
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There were some signs of an emergence last season, when he had five sacks with the Raiders, but even that season hinted that he was closer to fading out of the league than becoming a viable asset to a championship-caliber team. He was cut by the Panthers at the end of training camp before the 2024 season. He was signed by the Raiders, but only to the practice squad. He spent three different stints on the Raiders’ practice squad.
It’s safe to call this season with the Patriots a true breakout.
“Everybody has a different journey to this career and in the NFL,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said last month, according to the team’s transcript. “I think he’s worked really hard. I think he plays hard. His motor runs hot.”
There can be many reasons for a player to bloom late. They find the right scheme with a new team. Sometimes they deal with injury misfortune early in their careers. Sometimes it’s simple maturation. Not everyone is ready to be an NFL star at age 22 or 23.
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“I think a lot of factors played into it, for sure,” Chaisson said. “Regardless of how it played out, I think it was just opportunity. Whenever you get a chance to play in the league and representing the organization and represent your last name, take advantage of those. I think I did that well last year and I think I’m doing it this year.”
Chaisson had five sacks in four seasons with the Jaguars. He had 7.5 sacks with the Patriots this season. That ranked second on the team to Harold Landry III.
A stat that stuck out to Vrabel was Chaisson’s 108 special teams snaps. He has played special teams through his career, but it’s not a given that all former first-round picks will be willing to work on the punt team. Chaisson was.
“I go back to training camp and KC’s willingness to play special teams, to play on the punt team for us and play a lot of snaps when guys were banged up,” Vrabel said last month. “Then he kind of got banged up and he didn’t ask to be taken off the punt team. I’m glad that we found guys that can help him on that unit, but he’s in every one of the meetings. He’s taking reps in practice. He’s ready to go on that unit. So, I think that’s probably been the thing that’s impressed me the most was his willingness to be a part of the special teams and what we’re doing on fourth down and how important that is.”
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Not many former first-round picks embrace special teams, but Chaisson speaks with passion about it.
“Special teams plays are critical and huge to this game,” Chaisson said. “On the punt team man, when you can go out and steal possessions, find a way to get the ball out or pin them inside the 10, create a negative play or explosive play to change the momentum, that’s huge for every game.”
Chaisson’s career has come full circle, because next month he should be a coveted pass rusher again. He’s just 26 years old, coming off a 7.5-sack season for the AFC champions. He has that old draft pedigree and now has the production to match, all while still at a prime age. Chaisson has expressed that he wants to stay with the Patriots, though that will be settled in a few weeks.
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One way or another, he’s likely to get a pretty good contract, not long after being available to anyone for some of the 2024 season as part of the practice squad for the Raiders, one of the worst teams in the NFL, or after being cut by Carolina before the regular season started.
“The opportunity is a blessing,” Chaisson said. “I understand the magnitude of this scenario and situation, and I choose to take advantage of every opportunity that comes with it.”
The San Francisco Giants signed Luis Arráez to a one-year deal, with the hope that the three-time batting champion will be able to help solidify their offense after their blockbuster deal that brought Rafael Devers to the Bay last season. However, after finishing at 81–81, are the Giants doing enough to try and compete for a title?
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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman examine the questionable offseason that President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has navigated for his Giants. While being in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers does present some difficulties, should the Giants be doing a bit more to show their commitment to winning? Could they still find a way to improve their rotation before the start of the season?
Later, Jordan and Jake talk about the trade that saw the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan in a three-team deal to the Seattle Mariners and why he is going to be a key player for them. They then discuss the Chicago White Sox’s active weekend, the Sacramento A’s signing Jacob Wilson to an extension, all before they get into the problem that insurance is causing with World Baseball Classic rosters.
2:29 – The Opener: A look at the Giants
29:58 – Around the League: Mariners trade for Donovan
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48:18 – Turbo Mode: Reds sign Eugenio Suárez
58:37 – Tarik Skubal vs. Detroit Tigers
1:01:44 – We Need to Talk About: WBC insurance
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, File Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, File Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)
A day after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said there have been no discussions with the NFLPA about adding an 18th regular-season game, the union’s interim executive director said players have “no appetite” for the idea.
According to David White, players are not open to changes that could factor into health or recovery. The only changes membership would be open to are ones “that minimize risk and ensure players are properly recognized and compensated for a true, fair share of the value they create.”
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The NFL increased its regular season to 17 games in 2021. Over the past five years, it seemed as if the league was on a path to an 18th game. That hasn’t been the case, according to White, who told the Associated Press in September that extending the regular season again was “not inevitable.”
Five months later, the league has yet to approach the union about the topic.
“The 18th game is not casual for us,” White said Tuesday at a news conference in San Francisco. “It’s a very serious issue. It’s something that comes out of negotiations and nothing will move forward until players have the opportunity to account for all of those factors —take that into consideration and then, through negotiations, agree or not to the 18th game. But, as it stands right now, players have been very clear that they have no appetite for it.”
In January, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said it was the NFL’s mandate to expand the schedule and ensure an 18-game season would see every team playing internationally. For that to happen, it would require the NFL and NFLPA to reopen the collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2030.
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On Monday, Goodell said the league would like to talk to NFLPA leaders about expanding the schedule. There would be multiple issues that would need to be resolved in those talks, such as whether a second bye week for teams would be necessary and what roster sizes might look like if the regular season was 19 or 20 weeks long.
There would also be the natural end game in negotiations with both sides getting something they want.
“For the 18th game to happen, there’s obviously going to be some negotiation,” said Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp. “There’s some things, give and take. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things. If the 18th game is on the table, there’s going to have to be some talks about what makes that worth it to the players. And we’ll get to that point. We’ll cross that bridge.”
The Detroit Pistons are trying to shore up their rotation ahead of the NBA playoffs. The team added talent Tuesday, acquiring Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić as part of a three-team deal involving the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves.
In exchange for Huerter and Šarić, the Bulls will receive Mike Conley from the Timberwolves and Jaden Ivey from the Pistons, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The move helps the Pistons, who sit at 36-12 entering Tuesday, hold their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Huerter has been the best player of the group this season, averaging 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Šarić has appeared in just five games this season, all with the Sacramento Kings. He was acquired by the Bulls as part of a separate three-team deal Saturday. His time in Chicago didn’t last long.
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The Pistons also received a 2026 first-round protected pick swap from the Timberwolves as part of the deal.
Minnesota — which did not receive a player in the deal — may have had financial motivations for making the trade.
It’s possible the team has another move up its sleeve after getting rid of Conley’s $10 million salary. The Timberwolves could be freeing up cap space to pursue Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Charania.
For the Bulls, the move allows the team to take a chance on Ivey, who has fallen out of the team’s rotation after dealing with an early injury. The 23-year-old Ivey was selected by the Pistons with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting in his first season in the league.
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Conley is on an expiring contract. It’s possible he’ll see time with the Bulls, but he could also be waived or packaged in another deal ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Conley, 38, is averaging just 4.4 points this season.
The move gives the Bulls a surplus of options at guard, so it’s likely Chicago will remain active over the next couple days.
Chicago did exact that roughly an hour after trading away Huerter and Šarić, sending big man Nikola Vucevic to the Boston Celtics.
Welcome back to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to add off the waiver wire and get in your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Every league is different — sometimes a 75% rostered player hits waivers, whether by mistake or because they’ve hit an intolerable slump. If they fit your build, go get ’em. But for this column, we’re focusing on players under 50% rostered who are widely available and ready to help in Week 16 or beyond.
Fantasy basketball pickups and advice.
One note for daily leagues: The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET and deals are already happening. Save your transactions so you can react immediately when news breaks. Don’t waste pickups earlier in the week that could be overcome by events leading up to Thursday.
Add: Kelly Oubre Jr. – FC, Philadelphia 76ers (32% rostered)
News of Paul George’s 25-game suspension elevates Oubre’s status to must-roster in fantasy. In his first game since the announcement, Oubre dropped a 19-10-4 line, scoring 39 fantasy points.
The Sixers are one of nine teams playing four games this week. Though Oubre has an appealing, tradeable $8 million contract, I doubt the Sixers move him now that George will be out until March. Meaning, I’d buy his stock as a starter playing 30 minutes a night.
Stash: Jalen Smith – FC, Chicago Bulls (20% rostered)
You’re probably tired of my Jalen Smith stash campaign, but we have four days left for the Bulls to make a move! Smith missed the past two games with a calf injury, and yet I’m banking on the Bulls (I know, it’s a tall order) to find a taker for Nikola Vučević and his expiring contract. The compensation might be lower than they want, but damnit, they’ll get something. That would leave a void in the frontcourt, where Smith has already been operating well alongside Vuč.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Boston Celtics traded for Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday, February 3.
Before exiting Thursday’s game early, Smith was well on his way to another double-double. Hold him through Thursday because it could be a game-changer for your squad.
Collin Murray-Boyles – FC, Toronto Raptors (25% rostered)
CMB’s versatility has been so impactful for the Raptors. Toronto is a top-five team in the East and the rookie brushed off a thumb injury to return to the starting lineup in Week 15. His skill set is perfect for fantasy, as he provides a healthy mix of scoring, rebounding and assisting with plenty of stocks.
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Jakob Poeltl is not close to returning, leaving CMB as Toronto’s main guy in the frontcourt. It may seem modest, but as a starter, he’s averaging 9.3 points with 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 stocks per game in 28 minutes. That’s over a fantasy point per minute, which is the type of efficiency you want to see in fantasy.
Stash: Bub Carrington – G, Washington Wizards (17% rostered)
Since the Wizards are tanking and in rebuild mode, Carrington stands out as an early short-term hold through the deadline. Trae Young will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break, leaving Bub as the primary facilitator. And who honestly knows how much Trae will play in the second half of the season?
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Since turnovers don’t matter in High Score, I’d prioritize him over Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson at the moment. That could change if Khris Middleton gets moved by Thursday. Still, I like Bub’s counting stats: he’s scored at least 32 fantasy points in five of his last six games, with High Scores of 40 and 36 over the past two weeks.
There are a couple of paths to a bigger role by season’s end for the Pacers’ 2023 lottery pick. First, Indiana is fielding inquiries on Bennedict Mathurin. Secondly, Pascal Siakam could be load-managed as the season wears on, with the Pacers vying for the worst record in the league.
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Seeing what they have in Walker is important, since he becomes an extension-eligible player this summer. More minutes could be on the way and he’s been producing recently, averaging close to 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game over his last five contests.
Day’Ron Sharpe – C, Brooklyn Nets (12% rostered)
Add and hold Sharpe through Thursday’s deadline as he’s been a top-150 player over the past month and finished 91st in 9-cat leagues in Week 15. He’s actually good for both 9-cat or points leagues, as he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, efficient around the rim and a sneaky playmaker as a big man.
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With the Nets firmly in a rebuild, they could field offers for Nic Claxton, but either way, Sharpe is producing enough per minute to warrant adding across formats.
Ty Jerome – SG, Memphis Grizzlies (23% rostered)
Adding Jerome is less about Ja Morant getting traded (and he might be, considering the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade) and more about the Grizzlies being 18-29 and trending in the wrong direction. In Jerome’s season debut, he scored 20 points with 1 rebound and 6 assists in only 19 minutes.
He’s still on a minutes restriction, but given the Grizzlies will be without Morant for at least the next couple of weeks with an elbow injury, Jerome has some runway to be a viable fantasy asset.
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De’Anthony Melton – PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (10% rostered)
Who knows what swings the Warriors may really take -— trading away Jonathan Kuminga or even bigger, landing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Still, I’d roster Melton before his minutes cap is lifted. He’s averaging 14-3-3 with 2 steals per game over the past two weeks, and Golden State continues to rave about his impact and long-term fit with the team.
Melton could end up in the starting lineup at some point, but he’s still worth holding in fantasy while coming off the bench. In his last outing versus the Pistons, he played his most minutes (26) and delivered 18 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 3-pointer.
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Tre Jones – PG/SG, Chicago Bulls (19% rostered)
Like Vučević, the Bulls are unlikely to offer Coby White a new deal, thus making him an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. It’d be in Chicago’s best interest to get something for him, and if White gets traded, that would leave a void at the guard spot that Jones would take over. He’s been efficient all year, racks up steals and is top-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio while ranking 77th in 9-cat leagues. Jones is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, so you might be able to snag him and stash him from the wire.
Jonathan Kuminga – SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (20% rostered)
Kuminga’s stance on wanting a trade hasn’t wavered and despite being on the IL with a bone bruise, he could very well be dealt by Thursday. Depending on the destination, a change of scenery could unlock the usage and role he’s been seeking in the Golden State. He’s a speculative add in points leagues before Thursday’s deadline.
32 head coaches will be coaching new teams in 2026. Who among them will be the most successful? Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey breakdown who among the hires will be the most successful immediately. They discuss the youth movement in college football and how teams may be shifting priorities of what they look for in a head coach. Plus, there were not many coordinators hired in this most recent coaching cycle. Will that trend change in the future, and does that depend on the success of the coordinators who did land head coaching roles this year?
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Whether your team has a new head coach or not, hope springs eternal in the offseason for everyone. When Week 1 roles around, the sports world is excited and ready to roll. Unfortunately for Week 1 of the 2026 season, there are not many marquee matchups for fans to look forward to. Godfrey compares the Week 1 schedules of 2025 and 2026 and the guys explain why conference expansion has caused this upcoming season’s kick-off weekend to be so boring. They also throw out some ideas of how to fix this schedule in the future.
Later, Ross’ Congressional Minute returns as he gives us the latest college sports news coming from Congress. It appears the SCORE Act is being tweaked to try to drum up some more support. A couple of key pieces of the Act are being changed and the guys discuss the feasibility of the Act passing going forward. Plus, somehow the crew gets into a discussion about college football movies.
You won’t want to miss all of this and more on College Football Enquirer.
Penn State’s Matt Campbell, Kentucy’s Will Stein and Cal’s Tosh Lupoi Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images, Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images, Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
0:00:00 – Who will be the most successful new head coach in 2026?
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23:14 – How conference expansion is ruining Week 1
Pat Mahomes Sr., the father of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been taken into custody after violating his probation by consuming alcohol, according to CBS19.
Per TMZ, the Smith County District Attorney said that Mahomes Sr. had a high alcohol reading Jan. 1 on an alcohol ankle monitor he wears daily.
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Mahomes Sr., 55, has been on probation since pleading guilty to a DWI charge in August 2024. He was arrested days before Super Bowl LVIII when a police officer reported seeing an open can of beer in his car. The elder Mahomes would later fail field sobriety tests.
A jury trial had been scheduled in 2024, but Mahomes Sr. agreed to five years of probation with one year of “intense” supervision, 160 hours of community service, a life skills course, and taking part in a DWI repeat offender program, as well as Alcohol Anonymous classes.
According to Texas state law, the third-degree felony against Mahomes Sr. carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if he was convicted.
Mahomes Sr. addressed his 2024 arrest during an episode of ESPN’s “Chiefs Kingdom” series in August saying, “For him to have to answer questions about me was probably the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”
Patrick Mahomes said of his father’s issues, “I think just knowing that it hurt me woke him up to know that like, you can’t keep doing the same things.”
With less than 48 hours to go before the NBA trade deadline, teams are going WILD today, as the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves have connected on a three-way deal.
The details:
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Chicago receives: Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr.
Detroit receives: Kevin Huerter, Dario Šarić and a 2026 protected first-round pick swap courtesy of the Wolves.
Minnesota receives: Well, essentially nothing. And that’s the point.
Look, when I wrote about the Bulls recently, I basically called them incompetent. At the time that was both fair and indeed accurate.
Now? Not so much.
(Although, I have questions about the Nikola Vučević trade, but we’ll discuss that in another piece.)
Ivey is a good, young player who has routinely been underutilized in Detroit and he is just begging for a fresh start. He’s also a restricted free agent, meaning the Bulls have the right of first refusal if he pops for them.
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They get Mike Conley Jr., who I assume will get bought out. He is an expiring, so no harm done there, as the Bulls won’t have more money tied up in the future on his behalf.
All they gave up were two expirings in Huerter and Šarić (the latter of which was taken into a traded player exception, as he wasn’t allowed to get aggregated), only adding the yet unknown future salary compensation of Ivey.
This is just good business by the Bulls.
Detroit Pistons: B+
The Wolves’ pick swap is nice, and the Pistons add more shooting via the acquisition of Huerter, but I still think they sold low on Ivey.
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Perhaps it was just time for the sides to move on, which is fair enough, but the guard does have a level of potential that’s significant, and moving him for that package seems … well, not all that spectacular.
However, I shall judge the Pistons through the lens of how this helps them now, and Huerter, in theory, gives them a player who will help optimize the floor for Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, taking and making shots without utilizing a lot of touches.
That’s a win, especially for a team hoping to make a deep run in the postseason.
So while I would have liked to see the Pistons get more for Ivey, I get their approach.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Incomplete
Look, the Wolves just saved a ton of money on their tax bill, but unless they use that flexibility to make a big move, this was just that, a financially driven move in which they relinquished a point guard, a position that is currently their absolute weakest.
Surely, they have another move up their sleeve, otherwise this makes no sense. And so, before we know what that move is, it’d be irresponsible to grade them.
Every NBA team is looking for big men who can space the floor and protect the rim, and the Boston Celtics found someone who can at least do one of those things: Nikola Vučević.
The now-former Chicago Bulls center has shot 39.1% on 4.5 3-point attempts per game over the past two seasons. He is also, ugh, the anchor of the NBA’s 24th-rated defense.
How that helps the Celtics remains to be seen. They will add him to a big-man rotation that includes Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Amari Williams — hardly a powerhouse rotation. It was seen at season’s start as worse than it is has been. Vučević is, at the very least, an upgrade over Garza as a reserve center on the Eastern Conference’s third-place roster.
Whether Vučević should be taking minutes from Queta is another matter. Queta, who is averaging 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, has been the starter for the NBA’s 11th-rated defense, and there are few more valuable contracts than his minimum deal.
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Vučević makes more than $6 million fewer than Simons this season, which makes for considerable luxury-tax savings for the Celtics.
Whether it helps Boston on the basketball court, again, remains to be seen. Simons was a helpful player for the Celtics, averaging an efficient 14.2 points per game off the bench, and at 26 years old he is an intriguing investment for a Bulls team in need of youth.
Still, Vučević is a different kind of weapon for the league’s second-rated offense, providing depth to a frontcourt that needed it. He can score inside and out, averaging an efficient double-double (17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game) across a two-time All-Star career.
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The savings alone is probably worth the swap, and if Vučević gives the Celtics anything of value for the remainder of this season, when Jayson Tatum could return to the fold, forming a could-be contender in the Eastern Conference, Boston will be the better for it.
It probably does not come as a coincidence that Boston made its move for Vučević in the hours after the Memphis Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz. A 26-year-old Defensive Player of the Year, now that may have moved the needle toward more serious championship contention for the Celtics. But they have old friend Danny Ainge, now Utah’s top executive, to thank for missing out on a real difference-maker in their frontcourt.
