Just over a year ago, the Boston Celtics had reached the pinnacle of the NBA, romping to a championship after routing the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the finals. That now seems like ages ago.
The Celtics have gutted their roster this offseason, parting ways with stalwarts Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury. Some felt that Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White could be next to go, but they ultimately stayed put. At least for now.
It’s the harsh reality of today’s NBA, where the second apron has made it exceedingly difficult for contending teams to stay together.
But in the midst of the winds of change in Beantown, the Celtics did pick up a very intriguing player in the deal that sent Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons.
Simons averaged 19.3 points per game on 42.6/36.3/90.2 shooting splits last season and posted back-to-back campaigns in which he posted over 20 points per game in 2022-23 and 2023-24, so he definitely has the ability to get buckets.
However, Boston — which is still trying to work some salary cap magic — is attempting to find a trade for Simons, who is due to make $27.7 million next season, the final year of his contract.
But while the C’s are apparently working hard to trade Simons, there are some who feel that the Celtics should give the former first-round pick a chance.
The Celtics are being warned not to trade Anfernee Simons
Maxwell Ogden of Hardwood Houdini outlined this in a recent piece, urging Boston to give Simons a shot much like it did with White.
In Boston, Simons will have the benefit of playing alongside a more veteran-heavy cast of players—many of whom won a championship together in 2023-24,” Ogden wrote. “That includes the trio of Brown, Payton Pritchard, and White, who have all established themselves as reliable sources of offense. That could prove to be the impetus to an increase in all-around efficiency from Simons, who has already shot 42.7 percent or better on catch-and-shoot threes in two of the past four seasons.”
White himself struggled with efficiency before joining the Celtics, where he has emerged as one of the most improved two-way guards in basketball. Ogden goes on to say that Simons may even be able to get better defensively in Boston and could ultimately become a critical part of the team’s future.
“It’s understandable for the Celtics to peruse the trade market, but they must be sincere in their effort to evaluate how Simons fits in Boston before giving up on him too soon,” Ogden wrote.
Ogden makes some salient points. The C’s probably won’t get much in return for Simons anyway, so they may as well give him a chance and what will otherwise be a lost bridge year for the Celtics. Maybe he could establish himself as a key piece in Boston moving forward.
