Celtics Reportedly to 'Invite' Anfernee Simons Trade Offers Until 2026 NBA Deadline

The Boston Celtics have been very busy this summer, trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in moves aimed to keep the team under the second apron.

The Celtics may not be done wheeling or dealing, however, and one of the players they acquired in the Holiday deal might not be in Boston for long.

As NBA reporter Jake Fischer noted, "The expectation persists, furthermore, that Boston will continue to invite trade discussion involving Anfernee Simons from now through next season's trade deadline on Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET."

While the Celtics aren't outright punting on the 2025-26 season, they seem to be comfortable with something of a bridge year, especially with Jayson Tatum unlikely to play at all as he recovers from a torn Achilles.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White still give the Celtics a chance to make a playoff run, but nobody views Boston as a true contender without Tatum.

Simons, meanwhile, is a one-year rental wherever he plays, as he's set to hit free agency next summer. He'll play the 2025-26 season on a $27.6 million contract. The 26-year-old averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists for the Blazers last season, shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three.

With Tatum, Brown and White combining to make $145.7 million alone next season, however, it's hard to imagine the Celtics re-signing Simons for a deal that likely will be worth something in the range of $20-25 million per year. Adding more cost-controlled role players—or another star—might be a better allocation of resources.

It's just a matter of when the Celtics might pull the trigger on such a deal if they are indeed interested in a trade. Boston doesn't exactly have a ton of firepower behind Brown and White—they could carry Simons into the season, evaluate whether a playoff run seems likely and make a decision closer to February's trade deadline.

And if the keep him for the entire season, the Celtics wouldn't necessarily lose him for nothing in free agency, as they could always consider sign-and-trade deals. So there are a number of possibilities in play.

Any way you slice it, however, Simons feels like a one-and-done option for the Celtics at most.