Celtics Ruled Out for Ideal Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis Replacement

ESPN's Brian Windhorst ruled out the possibility of the Boston Celtics, or the NBA's 28 other teams, extracting big man Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the February 5 trade deadline in a few weeks.

As Windhorst noted during a Q&A on Threads, Zubac, "is absolutely not available and absolutely not a stretch big." Windhorst did note that the Celtics are looking for a big man to "replenish" after losing Al Horford in free agency to the Golden State Warriors and trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.

“...this is an area where Boston needs to replenish after losing Porzingis and Horford, and they will be looking for opportunities," Windhorst said.

MassLive's Brian Robb had already written off the Zubac scenario in his Celtics Mailbag last week, sounding unconvinced Brad Stevens and Co. would break the bank and match the Clippers' two-first-round-pick-asking price.

"The Zubac suggestion is a popular one I’ve gotten a lot in recent weeks. It depends a lot on the direction the Clippers take with their core. Zubac is on a good cost controlled contract so it’s hard to see the Clippers moving him now unless they are blowing things up entirely at the trade deadline (which is possible given how bad they look). Even then, two first round picks for Zubac would be a steep price to pay since it would essentially lock Boston in for the future with that core. I’m not sure Brad Stevens would like Zubac enough to do that and take away their flexibility. However, a case can certainly be made to go after a center now as opposed to waiting until the offseason. Ultimately, I think the Celtics are probably looking at minimum level type options for this season if they don’t get a guy like Zubac," Robb wrote in his latest Celtics Mailbag.

Celtics Play Differently From Last Few Years and Can Fit in Ivica Zubac

The Celtics are doing just fine with Neemias Queta at the 5, and he's certainly not a stretch big. Queta is 0/6 in his career on three-point attempts. Three of those attempts came this season, and the other three came in 2024-25.

Insisting on a stretch big shouldn't be the be-all, end-all trade path. Boston doesn't play the same style it did last year, relying on a historic Jaylen Brown mid-range display. The odds are good that Jayson Tatum plays a similar style when he returns to the lineup, relying less on rim-runs following his Achilles tear.

Zubac is a sturdy force who uses his frame to play bully ball in the post, opening up small hook shots for offensive consumption. Queta is a high-flier who does his best work catching alley-oops as a roll man. Both create extra looks for an offense that likes to eat clock and slow things down.

Neither could stretch the floor, but both would make for a great platoon if Stevens can convince Trent Redden and Co. to lower the price on Zubac by the deadline.