Nikola Vucevic expects to continue his NBA career despite uncertainty surrounding his next team after a short stint with the Boston Celtics.
“I plan to be in the NBA, to stay there until the end of my career. I expect there will be an offer, that something will open up,” Vucevic told Eurohoops. “I plan to stay.”
The veteran center added that he will evaluate his options once free agency begins.
“When free agency starts, I’ll wait to see what offers I get, which clubs will be interested, and then I’ll decide what to do next,” Vucevic said. “I don’t have much information for now. What’s being mentioned in the media is, for some reason, speculation.”
Vucevic enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent after finishing the 2025-26 season split between the Chicago Bulls and Celtics. League perception around his future has reportedly shifted, with Marc Stein of The Stein Line noting that teams around the NBA increasingly expect Vucevic to move on from Boston.
The 35-year-old center joined the Celtics on February 5 in a trade that sent Anfernee Simons and a 2026 second-round pick to Chicago, while Boston also sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Bulls.
His time in Boston was interrupted by a fractured right ring finger suffered in March, limiting his ability to build consistency in the rotation. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists during the 2025-26 regular season while shooting 43.9% from the field in a reduced role.
Boston finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, second in the Eastern Conference behind the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics entered the postseason with a deep perimeter attack led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, leaving Vucevic in a more situational role.
The Celtics were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games, ending a season where the team’s frontcourt rotation remained one of the bigger roster questions.
Before joining Boston, Vucevic had been a long-term offensive centerpiece for Chicago. His value remains tied to his ability to stretch the floor, rebound and create offense from the center position. Throughout his career, the two-time All-Star has averaged 17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while developing into one of the league’s most skilled passing big men.
