Celtics-76ers Trade Report Receives New Development

76ers' Interest in Anfernee Simons Shot Down

Shortly after Amico reported the Sixers' supposed interest in Simons, PhillyVoice's Adam Aaronson denied any notion that reported interest is going anywhere. Aaronson bluntly explained that there's no serious interest.

"Don’t think you need to pay much mind to the Sixers/Anfernee Simons rumor (for what it's worth)," Aaronson wrote.

Simons is a talented scorer, but he is undersized and if Philadelphia actually added him, he would be joining a backcourt with teammates whose skillsets overlap with his. He would be playing next to Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, both of whom are undersized and can score.

Financially, seeing how the Sixers could work out a deal with the Celtics for Simons is also tough. Simons will make almost $27.7 million, which is an expensive deal to acquire. The majority of the Sixers' payroll is committed to Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid, all of whom make notably more than Simons.

For Philadelphia to trade for Simons, they would have to aggregate several of their salaries to match Simons', including Drummond, Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr., and even Edgecombe, just to match salaries, which they likely wouldn't do.

That's way too much for someone like Simons, who has averaged over 20 points per game for multiple seasons, when the team already has Maxey, who does what Simons does, only better. Plus, the Celtics and Sixers are division rivals, so they don't typically trade with one another.

It's possible Philadelphia is interested in Simons, but not necessarily via trade, given the high price of his services. He is on an expiring contract with the Celtics this season, so if he doesn't get an extension, that would open the door for Philadelphia to add him to the team in 2026.