Former Chicago Bulls star receives blame in Celtics playoff defeat

Imagn Images

Former Chicago Bulls star receives blame in Celtics playoff defeat

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated May 3, 2026 12:43 AM ET

The Chicago Bulls made a few moves at the trade deadline that helped other teams that played basketball after the regular season.

Coby White played a key role for the Charlotte Hornets, which made the Play-In Tournament. Ayo Dosunmu is set to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs.

Nikola Vucevic watched as the Boston Celtics were defeated 109-100 by the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 on Saturday night.

The former Bulls big man did not play a single second for Boston, despite 76ers center Joel Embiid playing through an injury in the second half. The Celtics were also shorthanded with forward Jayson Tatum ruled out for Game 7 due to a knee injury.

Vucevic played in all of the first six games of the first round series. He recorded 37 points, 26 rebounds, and 14 assists for Boston in the playoffs.

Former Chicago Bulls C Nikola Vucevic didn’t help Celtics

Chicago Bulls Rob Dillingham (7) goes past Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4).Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

As Mark Schanowski of ABC 7 Chicago noted, Boston’s decision not to play Vucevic in a critical Game 7 could spell the end of his career.

“Joe Mazzula basically decided that Nikola Vucevic is unplayable in Game 7, going with 6’6” rookie Hugo Gonzalez & Jaylen Brown to try to guard Joel Embiid in the post,” Schanowski posted on X. “Have to wonder about Vuc’s future in the league. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer.”

The Bulls received Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick for Vucevic. Chicago had wanted to trade Vucevic before this season, but could never strike a price that seemed good enough for the former regime.

For once, it appears like the Bulls won a trade.

The fact that Chicago wanted to keep Vucevic a core player on a playoff contender now seems absurd after he could play a minute on Saturday night.

Immediately following the trade, Vucevic was hopeful he’d be a part of a deep playoff run, something he knew the Bulls weren’t ready to do last season.

“It just comes with the culture of having done it so much and having done it recently, having the players, coaching staff, and the front office, everything,” Vucevic said. “They’re really focused on winning now and going deep in the postseason, and you can really tell.”

The Celtics didn’t make it past the first round, and former Bulls player wound up being a key contribution to that effort on the bench.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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