{"id":409637,"date":"2026-01-15T22:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409637\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T22:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:40:09","slug":"why-ivica-zubac-would-be-a-perfect-trade-target-for-celtics-nbc-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409637\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Ivica Zubac would be a perfect trade target for Celtics \u2013 NBC Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Boston Celtics have exceeded expectations this season thanks to some MVP-level play from Jaylen Brown<\/a> and encouraging contributions from young wings like Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

But if the Celtics are serious about making a postseason run — and if they believe superstar Jayson Tatum will contribute to that run<\/a> — they could use reinforcements in the frontcourt. Boston has just two players taller than 6-foot-9 on its NBA roster (not counting two-way rookie Amari Williams), and while Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have both been excellent relative to expectations, the C’s absolutely would benefit from a third big man with a proven track record.<\/p>\n

Could Los Angeles Clippers big man Ivica Zubac help fill that void?<\/p>\n

On a special Mailbag edition of the Celtics Talk Podcast, Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg pondered Zubac’s potential fit in Boston if the Clippers were to make him available ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.<\/p>\n

“I think he’s the one guy I would be willing to splurge on a little bit,” Forsberg said. “His contract is so desirable. He checks a lot of boxes. (He’s) always in the top 20 in defensive rebounds. I think he led the NBA in defensive rebounds last year. He shores up your biggest need immediately. The defensive potential is obvious.”<\/p>\n

Zubac averaged career highs in points (16.8) and rebounds (12.6) last season while finishing sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. And while he’s missed six of Los Angeles’ last 12 games due to an ankle injury, he’s still averaging a double-double (14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game).<\/p>\n

Zubac is on a favorable contract, as well: The 29-year-old is in the first year of a three-year, $58.7 million contract that will pay him an average of $19.5 million through the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n

Acquiring Zubac would be easier said than done: The Clippers have rebounded from a disastrous start and are just a half-game out of a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, so it’s still unclear whether they’ll be sellers. And if they make Zubac available, they’d likely have a high asking price; Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently reported<\/a> the Clippers would seek “at least” two first-round picks in a potential deal.<\/p>\n

But if the Celtics are in the market for a big man, Forsberg views Zubac as among the best options.<\/p>\n

“For me, it comes down to plug-and-play,” Forsberg added. “He fits this team. He’s kind of the perfect guy for this team.<\/p>\n

” … I just think Zubac checks a lot of the boxes. (He’s making) $18 million this season, which would actually allow you to potentially cut money. You could tread two tracks.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think the Celtics are overly worried about getting below the tax this year, but it does give you a little bit more flexibility long-term and potentially think about resetting the repeater penalties, which would help make a big splurge further down the road.”<\/p>\n

Also in this episode:<\/p>\n

What roster changes might the Celtics make?\u00a0<\/p>\n

What would it take to get Jaren Jackson Jr.?\u00a0<\/p>\n

When will Jayson Tatum return?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Boston Celtics have exceeded expectations this season thanks to some MVP-level play from Jaylen Brown and encouraging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409638,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[2242,64532,11952,355,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-409637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-boston-celtics","9":"tag-celtics-talk-podcast","10":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","11":"tag-nba","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}