Nikola Vucevic had a disappointing stint in Boston after being acquired at the trade deadline, but he’s not ready to leave the NBA and consider playing in Europe, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The 35-year-old center told Montenegrin news outlet Vijesti that he will explore his NBA opportunities when he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month.

“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 said. “I plan to stay.”

The Celtics were looking for an experienced backup big man to carry them through the playoffs when they agreed to send Anfernee Simons to Chicago in exchange for Vucevic. He averaged 23.4 minutes in his first 11 games with the team before suffering a fractured finger that sidelined him until the last week of the regular season.

He was ineffective in six playoff contests, posting 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 19 minutes per game in the first-round loss to Philadelphia while shooting just 37.8% from the field and 29.2% from three-point range.

There has been strong speculation that Boston will explore the market for another reserve center this summer, either through trades or free agency. That creates an uncertain future for Vucevic, who earned $21.5MM last season, but he’s confident that suitors will materialize.

“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 also confirmed that he has retired from international competition, saying he won’t be representing Montenegro at the World Cup qualifiers next month.