The Boston Celtics have been very busy this offseason, and none of their moves have been all that pleasing to the fanbase. Not only have they traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but they have also allowed Al Horford and Luke Kornet to walk via free agency.
This comes right on the heels of the Celtics winning the 2024 NBA championship, but Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear and a brutal collective bargaining agreement has forced Boston to trim a ton of salary. And the C’s may not be done.
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The Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons in the deal that sent Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, but Simons is widely viewed as a potential trade candidate. He is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to earn $27.7 million this coming season. Evidently, Boston would prefer to cut bait with him.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has proposed a massive three-team trade that would allow the Celtics to do that, suggesting that Boston engage in a deal with both the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.
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In the trade, the C’s would ship out Simons and a 2031 second-round pick and receive Terance Mann, Ochai Agbaji and a 2030 second-round pick in return.
“This move doesn’t quite achieve that ultimate goal, but it would bring the Celtics below the first-apron line, while also giving them a flyer on a young(ish) wing in 25-year-old Ochai Agbaji and another potential trade chip in Terance Mann,” Bailey wrote. “The latter could be seen as a relatively inexpensive, plug-and-play effort guy for a contender, and his $15.5 million salary in 2025-26 is movable.”
Of course, there is a possibility that the Celtics end up keeping Simons at least through the trade deadline to determine whether or not he is worth retaining as a future building block. The 26-year-old averaged over 20 points per game in back-to-back seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and last year, he posted 19.3 points per game on 42.6/36.3/90.2 shooting splits.
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Simons’ efficiency definitely leaves much to be desired, and he is not exactly a defensive stalwart, but Boston has a habit of getting the most out of players who couldn’t quite find the right niche elsewhere.
That being said, the C’s are clearly trying to shed salary, so Simons could be a goner before the season if the Celtics can find a taker.
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