{"id":568169,"date":"2026-01-29T08:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/568169\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T08:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:46:28","slug":"report-celtics-submitted-trade-offer-for-ivica-zubac-to-clippers-to-no-avail-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/568169\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Celtics submitted trade offer for Ivica Zubac\u00a0to Clippers \u2014 to no avail"},"content":{"rendered":"

With eight days remaining until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics are running short on time to decide which direction they\u2019ll go.<\/p>\n

During the offseason, and shortly after acquiring guard Afernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday, the organization quickly explored its options. Boston spoke with the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks before entering Opening Night with Simons still aboard. Those conversations, however, haven\u2019t been put to rest officially with the team\u2019s interest in a front-court upgrade, prompting a revisitation of a potential Simons trade \u2014 this time involving Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, according to HoopHype\u2019s Mike Scotto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the Clippers were struggling with a 6-21 record to begin the season, the Celtics inquired about an exploratory framework around Simons, a first-round pick, and a future first-round pick swap for Ivica Zubac and salary filler, which didn\u2019t gain any traction,\u201d Scotto reported Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 16: Ivica Zubac #40 of the LA Clippers shoots the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on November 16, 2025 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Since moving on from the offseason departures of Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, the Celtics have been experimental at the center position. Coach Joe Mazzulla has leaned on fifth-year veteran Neemias Queta to shoulder the weight of 43 starts in 44 appearances, while also giving Luka Garza, and most recently, rookie Amari Williams, a chance with meaningful minutes. Those names aren\u2019t as household as Zubac\u2019s, but there is room to improve on that front.<\/p>\n

Boston, so far, has measured up as a middle-of-the-pack rebounding team this season. They rank 13th in total rebounds (44.8) per game, and 16th in defensive boards (32.3) among all teams in the league. That\u2019s a notable drop-off from last season, in which the Celtics ranked eighth and seventh in those categories, respectively, even though it hasn\u2019t been a glaring issue plaguing Boston\u2019s climb up the standings \u2014 the Celtics, at 29-17, sit second in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

Zubac is the fourth-best rebounder in the league \u2014 behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Donovan Clingan \u2014 averaging 10.9 per game with 14.6 points through 40 appearances with the Clippers. He\u2019s on pace to finish the season averaging a double-double for the second time in his career, making him a significant name that\u2019s repeatedly surfaced in trade rumors.<\/p>\n

Considering the ongoing strides Boston has made without star Jayson Tatum, the case to buy rather than sell is as clear as day. Mazzulla\u2019s coaching readjustments, Jaylen Brown\u2019s leadership growth, and the team\u2019s principles that have turned the Celtics into a well-oiled machine all speak for themselves. Instead of using Tatum\u2019s absence as a reason to tank, Boston has used it \u2014 along with several other outlets \u2014 as motivation to reshape this season\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n

The conversation about whether to invest or stand pat was significantly murkier months ago, before the season began. Tatum\u2019s absence, coupled with the departures and unproven newcomers, made the Celtics an easy team to count out from the jump. It\u2019s the first time Mazzulla has been tasked with relying on identity rather than star power, yet everything has worked out. Brown is the team\u2019s lone All-Star representative, and despite the void Tatum\u2019s ruptured right Achilles tendon left, Boston \u2014 like last season \u2014 is still a legitimate contender to represent the East in this year\u2019s NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

If the organization\u2019s intention is to go all-in and make a deep run at the Finals, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens remains on the clock in the meantime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With eight days remaining until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics are running short on time to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":568170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3789],"tags":[7,37650,21388,15930,15517,559,4034,192,4032,251,135,4033,4031,6],"class_list":["post-568169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-clippers","tag-basketball","tag-boston-celtics-articles","tag-celtics-news","tag-celtics-rumors","tag-celtics-trade-rumors","tag-clippers","tag-la","tag-la-clippers","tag-laclippers","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesclippers","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115977519073666587","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}