New NBA Trade Report Comes at Unfortunate Time for Celtics

Why it's Bad Timing for the Celtics Trying to Trade Anfernee Simons

Even if the Celtics find a taker, it may cost them. The Athletic's Jay King reported that if the Celtics trade Simons, they would likely have to attach assets, and that their motive would be to cut costs more than anything else.

"At this point, I don’t think it’s a matter of how much draft capital the Celtics would get for trading Simons," King wrote. "It’s a matter of how much draft capital they would have to give up. He doesn’t seem to have a strong market.

"In any trade of Simons, the Boston front office would likely prioritize shedding as much salary as possible rather than a frontcourt upgrade. While Stevens has made it clear he does not want to part ways with significant draft assets to cut salary, it would be helpful to get out of the luxury tax and begin the process of resetting the repeater tax if a feasible path to do so exists."

So Simons' value is low enough that, despite what he can do and his relatively young age—26—no team wants him. This is likely due to how much he will be paid next season—almost $27.7 million—and because he's a flight risk. Boston may be stuck with him for the entire 2025-26 season.

This is bad timing for the Celtics because, with Jayson Tatum out indefinitely, they are trying to reshape this roster to maintain their contending status for the near future. Simons likely isn't in the Celtics' future plans, so their inability to trade him while trying to build the best team around Tatum and Jaylen Brown is unfortunate.

Boston will need the assets to build a contender around Tatum and Brown again, and because trading Simons would likely mean getting rid of assets, it would hurt them long-term. This doesn't mean Boston can't be a contender when Tatum returns fully healthy; it just means trading Simons won't help them with that.