The Celtics have been seeking out a trade partner for Anfernee Simons but haven’t had any success, Grant Afseth reports for FastbreakJournal.com.
The cost-cutting club shed Jrue Holiday and his three-year contract in exchange for Simons this offseason. Simons has averaged 19.9 points and 4.5 assists per game with a .436/.381/.901 shooting line over the past four seasons for Portland.
Simons has an expiring $27.7MM contract and there’s been speculation since the trade was made that Boston might flip him. Last week, the Celtics traded Georges Niang to Utah and are now operating about $4MM above the first tax apron and $12MM above the luxury tax line. Dealing Simons could help them move out of the apron and take another step toward escaping the tax entirely.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Draft-and-stash player Rokas Jokubaitis, whose rights are owned by the Knicks, has joined Bayern Munich on a three-year deal, according to a Bayern press release. Jokubaitis, a second-round pick in 2021, has seven years of EuroLeague experience. He played last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv, averaging 12.6 points per game in the EuroLeague, after three years with FC Barcelona. “Rokas is still so young, one of Europe’s biggest talents, yet he has already established himself as one of the leading point guards in the EuroLeague,” Bayern Munich’s sporting director Dragan Tarlac said.
- For the first time in four seasons, the Sixers were excluded from the league’s annual Christmas slate. They also don’t have a national TV game during opening week or Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That comes as no surprise, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. They wound up tanking due to injuries last season and won only 24 games. While they lucked out in the lottery and selected VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers need Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey to stay relatively healthy. Alarm bells went off when George underwent knee surgery last month. He will be reevaluated prior to training camp.
- In case you missed it, the Nets are taking a hard-line approach with restricted free agent Cam Thomas. Get the details here.
Paul having surgery, Embiid refusing to do so…things aren’t looking good for Philly. They really need to pivot to their young guys but are stuck with the Embiid and Paul contracts. Going to set them back along time.
Trust the Process.
Processed cheese
Embiid did have surgery!!! APRIL 6TH
Needs a real surgery. Arthroscopic surgery isn’t going to help him. He’s already tried that. His plan is to play a little more. Rest, put off a major surgery until impossible to do so. Than you’re talking another season gone. Best off biting the bullet asap, not prolonging this for years, which he’s already done. I’ve been through this s××t. Wish I got the major op straight up. By not doing so all’s it did was drag on for years….years of pain. Like 3-4 years of being in pain and hobbled. Rather useless mobility wise. I would of much rathered the one year and pain free. You can make a full recovery from a half or full knee replacement.
Celtics didn’t end up getting those second-rounders once the Simons-Holiday trade was finalized, just FYI.
Still shocked how low Simons’ trade value is, but a lot of guys can seemingly do what he does these days. I still think he’s being under-valued, and he’s a good dude, so I hope he ends up in a place he can prove some folks wrong.
Simons plays no defense and needs Boston as much as Boston needs him to play well to move him. Simons will do really well in Bostons offense. If Boston is in a gap year, they can have Hauser off the bench and have 4 to 5 solid 3 pts shooters to spread the floor.
I would expect Brad is fine with Simons playing until the trade deadline and then moving him.
Brad is smart, real SMAARRT. I Trust Brads evaluation of players.
Vuce for Simons?
Give the Celtics a centre and more savings. Maybe insurance policy for Bulls if Giddey goes or they make the move and line up a Kuminga for Giddey deal? Even if they do it just to try trade Simon’s at the deadline ?
Could possibly even do a Vuce and Pat Will for Simons and Hauser.
Gets them out of Pat Wills deal but maybe Celtics like him and a 3 and D forward. Either that or decent trade chip in the future on a 18mil contract. His play style would be a great fit in Boston and he’s definitely build up his value.
Why? Vuce is 34 does not fit their time line and Williams is hot garbage. Hauser is staying, he is cheap shoots well from 3 and plays solid D.
Brad wants a young cost control big, not an aged has been who does nothing for the team.
IF the Celts are basically tanking, Vuce does nothing for them. Celts are looking for a guy that other teams under value to let develop, since they are good at developing talent.
Next year, they will get a vet to put with Tatum, Brown, White, Pritchard, Hauser and probably Gonzales.
People keep pushing Vuce bc he is big and Chicago wants to move him…I wonder why they want to move him?
My guess is Boston wants to move Simons to a team like Memphis with young cheap bigs, but Memphis would rather keep the bigs.
Also, Boston has to do nothing, Trade deadline is the key, not off season. I trust Brad, the guy knows players.
First part it’s not about age or timeline it’s about the fact they don’t have any decent big men on their roster. Vuce would simply be just there for a year. Secondly Williams really isn’t hot garbage he’s a decent plied it’s just Chicago.
Thirdly Brad wants a young coat control big, yeah well hes had plenty of opportunities to grab one and leaving it this late into the offseason I doubt he does anything.
I hope Simons has a great season. I agree that Celtics are fine with him in the backcourt, hoping to get his value up and move him sometime before the TD. Maybe he’ll even learn to play a little D. His shot and his touch around the basket are real good… at times.
Terence Mann for Simons juuusst gets Boston below tax threshold and can help Brooklyn guarantee they’re above the salary floor entering the season. A second or two going one way or the other should be able to even this deal out to both teams’ content.
Thomas better take what he is offered or he will be like Dennis Schroeder
He’s only getting offered denis Schroder money already hahaha I don’t know what other offers are out there for him but if the team you’ve been with all these years only values you at a fraction of what you think your worth then I’d probably want to leave also
Sounds like Embiid’s conditioning and recovery may delay him and hamper him – this season and rest of his career. I was livid when they signed PG – they needed to get younger and more athletic, not older and more brittle. I need less of Morey… time for him to go.
I remember the New York Press Corps being crazy over Knicks signing Joko. I guess he never got under Thibs. but why let him go for McBride and Kolek ?
NY press always over does it. Brunson hadn’t peaked yet. Now though he’s a good asset for a trade. At worst he is decent backup PG. Knicks can use him in a trade.
Imo Simons is in the right place. His shooting line stats are very good. On the Celtics they can be better. Playing next to White and on Celtics. His D won’t be as exposed. Plus it should improve. I think he can be a good fit on this team. The issue is he wants more money than he is worth. Looks like both sides are not sure about each other. I guess we’ll see by TD. How this ends. Simons is a FA next year. Celtics could just let him walk next year.
Simons and a FRP for Mann. I think they’d be under the luxury tax after that move.