The Boston Celtics have made some bold moves this NBA offseason. There have been a few different Celtics trades that have left the team without some of its 2023 championship core. This was largely due to financial constraints. Now, the Celtics will need to figure out what to do in their year without Jayson Tatum.
Probably the biggest Celtics offseason trade was the swap of Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons. This was a cost-saving move for the Celtics, who were trying to dodge a major luxury tax bill.
Simons, however, is no chump. Simons is still only 26 years old and has already had two seasons of his early career scoring 20 or more points per game. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like the Celtics are that interested in keeping Simons around. A few days after getting traded to Boston, it sounds like the Celtics are already looking to make another Anfernee Simons trade.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Celtics are “actively trying to trade Anfernee Simons.”
But why would the Celtics want to trade a productive young player they just obtained?
For one, Simons is on an expiring contract. Even if he were to have a stellar season in Boston, he would likely demand a contract that the Celtics might not be able to afford.
Besides the money, it doesn’t really make sense why the Celtics wouldn’t want to see what Simons could become. Simons has only been a “good stats, bad team” player so far in his career. That being said, who knows what he could become when surrounded by a championship organization?
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The Celtics should really take a moment before completing another Anfernee Simons trade. Let the young man prove what he can be. If he shows even more improvement, he should be worth the money on his next big contract.
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