Utah State Professional Athletes

Utah State has quietly become a pipeline to Boston's frontcourt — and heading into the 2026-27 NBA season, both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are making the case that Logan, Utah is producing some of the best big-man depth in the league.

Queta Makes His Claim

Queta, the Celtics' starting center, used the final day of Boston's preseason camp at The Citadel to put the rest of the league on notice. The former Aggie made a bold public claim about the quality of Boston's frontcourt rotation — a unit that, by his telling, is no longer a question mark but a genuine strength. It's a notable shift in narrative: entering last season, Queta was largely unproven as a starter, and the Celtics' center depth drew real skepticism around the league. According to Heavy Sports, that rotation proved its worth as the year went on, and Queta is clearly not shy about saying so heading into year two.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla, meanwhile, was in a different mood at the same practice session — telling his rookies to be seen and not heard, per Sports Illustrated. Queta, no longer a rookie in standing, apparently got the memo that veterans talk.

Garza Steps Up While Queta Sits Out

The preseason opener against the Cavaliers painted an interesting picture. Queta was among eight Celtics players held out of the game — alongside Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Paul George, and others — leaving Garza to carry the frontcourt load in Cleveland.

He delivered. Yahoo Sports noted that Garza "got right to work" while Queta and Mitchell Robinson sat, serving as a reminder to the organization not to overlook the former Iowa standout. Garza's path to Boston ran through Minnesota, where he had struggled to carve out minutes with the Timberwolves before catching on with Joe Mazzulla's system. Early preseason returns suggest the change of scenery has done him good.

The dynamic between the two is worth watching all season: Queta is the established starter flying the flag publicly, while Garza is making his case quietly on the court whenever the opportunity arises. For a Celtics team with championship expectations, having two trustworthy big men — both products of Utah State's program — is either a great insurance policy or a looming roster decision waiting to happen.

The Bigger Picture for Aggie Fans

Neither Taylor Funk (Jazz) nor Sam Merrill (Cavaliers) had notable activity during this stretch, which means the Utah State spotlight belongs entirely to Boston this week. That the Celtics are fielding two former Aggies in a frontcourt rotation they're openly bragging about is something the folks in Logan should feel good about.

The 2026-27 season tips off with Queta talking and Garza producing. For Utah State alumni tracking the NBA, there are worse problems to have.

Neemias Queta had the best season of his NBA career — and somehow that's made his future in Boston murkier, not clearer.

The Utah State product, 27, averaged 10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds last season as the Celtics' starting center, a breakout run that earned him a spot on ESPN's list of players to watch for the 2027 Top-100 — even if he narrowly missed the actual rankings. On paper, it's a career milestone. In practice, it's put a price tag on his head.

The Trade Chip Problem

Boston's front office has reportedly floated Queta as a potential trade chip heading into training camp, according to Heavy Sports. The Celtics added Mitchell Robinson in free agency this offseason — their marquee big-man acquisition — which immediately clouds Queta's path back to the starting lineup. Luka Garza, who thrived in a secondary role last season, adds another layer of competition for frontcourt minutes.

Queta is owed $56 million, a figure that makes him a legitimate trade asset but also a complicated one. Teams shopping for a proven, starter-caliber center at a reasonable rate will find him attractive; the Celtics, suddenly crowded in the paint, may find it easier to move him than to manage the logjam.

For Utah State fans, it's a bittersweet moment. Queta has been the most visible Aggie in the NBA, and his 2025-26 campaign validated years of development since he was drafted in 2021. Going from trade rumor afterthought to actual trade chip is, in a perverse way, a sign of how far he's come.

The Bigger Picture for Aggie Alumni

Queta is the headliner, but Utah State keeps a quiet presence across the league. Sam Merrill enters another season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the former Mountain West standout has carved out a role as a sharpshooter off the bench. Taylor Funk is in Washington with the Wizards, continuing to develop at the SG position on a rebuilding squad with room for a young player to earn minutes.

None of them are household names — but that's been the Aggie way in the NBA. Quiet contributors, steady professionals, guys who outwork their draft position. Queta's situation this September, though, is something different: he's not fighting for a roster spot. He's fighting to stay on a contender that may no longer have room for him precisely because he proved he belongs.

Training camp opens soon. Queta will have a chance to make Boston's decision difficult. Whether that results in a secured starting role or a trade to a new city, the former Aggie enters 2026-27 as the most scrutinized Utah State alum the NBA has seen in years.

Neemias Queta spent the summer cashing in and putting in work. Now comes the harder part: keeping the job he earned.

The Utah State product signed a four-year, $56 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2026-27 season — a reward for the breakout campaign that made him the team's starting center. But Boston didn't stop there. The Celtics added Mitchell Robinson, a proven veteran and former Knicks center, to the roster this offseason, immediately setting up a competition at the position Queta now calls his own.

Queta has been characteristically measured in addressing the situation publicly. At a basketball court unveiling in Cambridge last week, he acknowledged a busy offseason of self-improvement. "It's been a good offseason of work, and I've been working on pretty much everything," he said, per Boston.com — the kind of answer that doubles as a message to the front office and an incoming rival.

He's been more direct elsewhere. In multiple interviews, Queta has made clear he isn't treating Robinson's arrival as a threat to duck — he's treating it as a challenge to rise to. The Logan, Utah product who once starred for the Aggies has become comfortable enough in Boston to say so plainly.

The backdrop makes the competition more layered. The Celtics are entering a reconfigured era: Jaylen Brown, a franchise cornerstone for nearly a decade, is no longer on the roster. Boston needs contributors to step into expanded roles, and the center position — long a trouble spot for the franchise — figures prominently in how this team is rebuilt. Queta's extension signals organizational belief. Robinson's signing signals organizational hedging. Training camp, which opens in roughly two weeks, will force a resolution.

Robinson brings legitimate credentials. His championship pedigree with New York and his rim-protecting ability make him more than a depth piece — he is, by any reasonable measure, a legitimate starter in this league. For Queta, that's the point. The Aggie center has faced doubters before and turned them into footnotes.

For Utah State fans tracking the Aggies' NBA footprint, this is the week's defining storyline — a former Aggie, now handsomely paid, staring down a real test of whether last season was a breakout or a blip. The contract says Boston believes in him. Training camp will say whether he believes in himself enough to prove it.

Sam Merrill (Cavaliers) and Taylor Funk (Wizards) had no notable activity reported during this period.