The Celtics (34-19) didn’t make the loudest move at the trade deadline.

They made the smartest one.

And if Jayson Tatum eventually walks back onto the parquet this season, that move - the addition of Nikola Vucevic - might be the one that tilts the entire Eastern Conference.

Tatum is 39 weeks into his recovery from a torn Achilles and back on the practice floor, but he remains deliberate about what comes next.

“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said Tuesday after practicing with the Maine Celtics Monday. “It was good to be a part of practice yesterday with the Maine G League guys. Today is 39 weeks, so it’s been a long journey. And it’s just like the progression of rehab. It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step.”

That patience has defined Boston’s approach all year.

There has been no panic. No savior complex.

As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently put it, the urgency surrounding Tatum’s return is “0.0.”

The Celtics have never treated his comeback as a rescue mission, and Tatum has felt that support.

Meanwhile, Brad Stevens quietly reshaped the roster.

Boston flipped Anfernee Simons for Vucevic, addressing the one clear weakness that hovered over this second-place team: frontcourt stability.

The Celtics had survived on youth and hustle at center. They were winning, yes. But they were doing it without a true, playoff-tested interior anchor.

Now they have one.

“Vuc is a hell of a player,” said Tatum. “Obviously I’ve competed against him for the last eight years. I’m excited about the things he brings to this team and the different dynamic. So we’re all excited to have him.”

That “different dynamic” matters.

Vucevic gives Boston defensive rebounding, high-post playmaking, and legitimate floor spacing at the five.

He gives Joe Mazzulla lineup optionality.

He gives the Celtics a counter when small ball stalls.

And he does it without disrupting the identity that’s carried them to the No. 2 seed in the East.

Tatum has been watching it all unfold.

“It’s been great,” Tatum said of the team’s play without him. “I think - even before the season, there was no doubt in my mind that [Jaylen Brown] and [Derrick White] and all these guys, I knew what they were capable of. Whenever somebody that loves the game that much and works as hard as they do, with maybe more opportunity, I’m not surprised what they’ve been able to accomplish. It’s been really fun and cool to see and watch.”

If he does return, integration won’t scare him.

“Yeah, I mean, it might look different,” Tatum said. “I haven’t played with these guys or with this group, but lot of high IQ guys out there. I like to consider myself one of those types of players. So if that did present itself, and if I did come back, we professionals will figure it out.”

That’s the key. Figure it out.

The Celtics are already one of the best teams in basketball.

They’ve won with depth. They’ve won with adaptability. They’ve won without their franchise player.

“We’ve been one of the best teams all season,” said Tatum. “So we’ll continue being one of the best teams for the rest of the regular season, and hopefully in the playoffs.”

Add a healthy Tatum to a roster that just fixed its biggest flaw without breaking anything else?

That’s not just a contender.

That’s a favorite.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.