NBA Trade Grades for Nikola Vučević-Anfernee Simons Deal Between Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics
In a deal that raises many questions about what other curveballs will follow, the Boston Celtics are trading Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vučević, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Why yes, the Bulls are attempting to acquire every guard under the sun, thank you for asking. Meanwhile, it seems the Celtics are in full cost-cutting mode. Another salary dump could follow. Or is this actually about something bigger?
Let's figure it out the only way we know how: with trade grades!
Full Trade Details
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Boston Celtics Receive: Nikola Vučević, Denver Nuggets' 2027 second-round pick
Chicago Bulls Receive: Anfernee Simons, 2026 second-round pick (most favorable from Minnesota, New Orleans, New York and Portland)
Boston Celtics: B-
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Shedding $6.2 million in salary by going from Anfernee Simons to Nikola Vučević slashes the Celtics' tax bill by more than $20 million. It also pulls their cap sheet below the first apron, allowing them to sign someone making more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception if they get waived and hit the buyout market.
This alone is unspectacular, particularly while giving up a pick. You'd prefer to see Boston altogether duck the tax. And…they might.
The Celtics are now inside $6 million of skirting the luxury tax. Sam Hauser might want to pack his bags. Or perhaps Vooch shouldn't pick out his jersey number just yet.
Then again, unless Boston knows about a spicy buyout candidate who can log minutes up front that we don't, Vučević is probably safe. He fills an actual need, making this trade a touch more compelling than it appears on the surface.
As good as their center-by-committee approach has been, Vooch offers more proven stretch and, most critically, a hefty presence on the defensive glass. The latter is arguably Boston's biggest need. It ranks 23rd in defensive rebounding rate. Vooch has rated below the 80th percentile in grabbing opponent misses just once since 2016-17, and according to BBall Index, he's currently in the 89th percentile of the share of his defensive boards going contested.
Losing Anfernee Simons' shooting nevertheless stings. A lot is on the shoulders of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard now. That load gets lighter if Jayson Tatum comes back, or if lead executive Brad Stevens has another move up his sleeve. This deal is a notch above fine, particularly with the creation of another large TPE.
Chicago Bulls: A-
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If anybody needs a guard, multiple league sources tell me the Bulls have, approximately, all of them.
This marks the third time in just a few days Chicago is using its flexibility beneath the tax to take on money in exchange for draft picks or restoration-project fliers (Jaden Ivey). These are not the types of returns that will generate clickbaity headlines, but they're a harbinger of a notoriously shortsighted front office thinking longer term—and with more self-awareness.
Simons being a useful floor-spacer allows this grade to stay in the "A" range. We have, however, reached the point in which the Bulls need to start doing something with their cacophony of backcourt bodies to still view their process as a favorable (read: coherent) one.
Still, at the very least, Chicago doesn't seem itching to short-circuit its future for a deal that propels it to the top of the middle. Franchise track record in mind, this is an absolute win.
In the meantime, with Zach Collins still out, here's hoping you enjoy watching a center rotation headlined by Jalen Smith and Lachlan Olbrich.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
