Celtics, Blazers Rosters, Salary Cap, Picks After Jrue Holiday, Anfernee Simons Trade

The Portland Trail Blazers are parting ways with a promising young guard, trading Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics on Monday, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Blazers received veteran point guard Jrue Holiday in return. Portland also sent a pair of second-rounders to Boston.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Portland is taking on the combined $72 million owed to Holiday in 2026-27 and 2027-28, while Boston will get $40 million in tax savings this season from the deal. The Celtics will now be $18 million over the second apron. Before the deal, Boston was $58.5 million over the cap, per Spotrac.

Here's a look at the Celtics' updated roster

Boston Celtics 2025-26 Roster

• PG: Anfernee Simons, Payton Pritchard, JD Davidson
• SG: Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jaden Springer
• SF: Jaylen Brown, Torrey Craig
• PF: Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Drew Peterson, Miles Norris
• C: Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porziņģis, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman

The Trail Blazers were $36.26 million over the cap before the trade but were $9.49 million under the first apron and $20.29 million under the second apron, per Spotrac.

Here's how the Blazers' roster stacks up after the trade:

Portland Trail Blazers 2025-26 Roster

• PG: Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Dalano Banton
• SG: Shaedon Sharpe, Rayan Rupert, Matisse Thybulle, Bryce McGowens, Taze Moore
• SF: Deni Avdija, Kris Murray, Jabari Walker, Justin Minaya, Sidy Cissoko
• PF: Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant
• C: Donovan Clingan, Deandre Ayton, Duop Reath, Robert Williams

Simons previously told The Athletic's Jason Quick that he didn't feel he had "the cachet or urgency to demand a trade" despite the team's struggles. The Blazers finished 12th in the West with a 36-46 record, but he never pushed to be moved. Aaron Fentress of the Oregonian later reported that it was "a toss-up" whether or not Simons would be traded this offseason.

The deal comes two years after the Blazers traded star point guard and face of the franchise Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the 2023-24 season. While it appeared that Simons was a major part of Portland's future alongside 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson, the team ultimately decided to ship him away.

It was three years ago that Portland re-signed Simons to a four-year, $100 million contract. He will make a salary of $27.7 million during the 2025-26 season in the final year of his deal.

During the 2024-25 campaign, Simons appeared in 70 games and led the Blazers with 19.3 points per game while adding 2.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists. It was his first time averaging under 20 points since the 2021-22 season.

Simons missed time in 2023-24 with a torn ligament in his thumb, but he was impressive when healthy. In 46 games, he averaged career highs of 22.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He shot 43.0 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range.

The 26-year-old took a unique path to the NBA. He graduated from high school in 2017 and spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy. Rated as a 5-star recruit after reclassifying to the class of 2018, he ended up de-committing from Louisville while the school was under federal investigation for fraud and corruption. He chose to bypass college and enter the 2018 NBA draft, making him one of the youngest players in the class.

The Blazers selected him with the No. 24 pick. After a few nondescript seasons, Simons made a leap in 2021-22 by averaging 17.3 points in 57 games. After improving over the last few seasons, it's clear that his best years are ahead of him.

The Celtics might be in for a bit of a down year with star Jayson Tatum on the recovery trail following a torn Achilles, but it will give Simons the chance to establish himself alongside Jaylen Brown and the rest of the roster, which should still be capable of competing for a spot in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Holiday will look to be a strong veteran presence on a young Blazers team as he enters the late stages of his career.