It’s an exciting time to be a Boston Celtics fan, as the team is exceeding the low expectations many people had entering the season. Although the Celtics currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 28-17 record, their stellar play has slowed of late, with Boston winning just five of its last 10 games.
While this current iteration is capable of leading them to the playoffs, they aren't good enough to make a deep postseason run. The Celtics’ weakness is their frontcourt, and Brad Stevens seems intent on bolstering the depth at the position, with Boston reportedly interested in several big men over the last few weeks. Given the trade deadline is just 10 days away, these three Celtics will likely be out of the picture by the league's Feb. 5 deadline.
1. Anfernee Simons, G
For anyone who suggested the Celtics must keep Anfernee Simons, you should be grateful that you got to see him take the court in green and white. Since the Celtics emphasized cutting spending in the offseason, it was almost certain they would ultimately flip Simons for future assets.
Despite floating the eight-year veteran’s name in trade talks, however, the Celtics were unable to ship him and decided to start the season with Simons on the team. Although he came out of the gates slowly, he's been playing his best stretch of basketball in January, averaging 16.1 points while shooting 45.6 percent from beyond the arc, in 26.8 minutes per game.
Even though he’s improved his play as of late, Simons hasn’t provided much outside of scoring. While he’s ramped up his defensive efforts, Simmons continues to struggle on that end of the floor. Opposing teams still target Simons and try to create mismatch opportunities whenever they can.
With head coach Joe Mazzulla continuing to stick with Payton Pritchard and Derrick White to lead the backcourt, a breakup would be best for both sides. Simons was a full-time starter for the Portland Trail Blazers over the last two years and likely wants to return to that role.
Since Simons will be a free agent after this season, he’ll likely seek a starting role with a new team and command a long-term deal. As for the Celtics, Simons is their best chance to acquire a quality big man such as Ivica Zubac or Daniel Gafford. With Simons in the final year of his four-year, $100 million extension, this will be their only chance to get assets in return for him, or face letting him walk in the offseason.
2. Chris Boucher, PF/C
Heading into this 2025-26 campaign, the Celtics faced a sizable void in the frontcourt following the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet last offseason. The Celtics signed eight-year veteran Chris Boucher in hopes of helping fill those voids with his experience and ability to stretch the floor
Unfortunately, these hopes were crushed within the first few weeks of the season. Boucher failed to earn a role off the bench as he was unable to establish himself as a scorer and rebounder. In just eight games, Boucher averaged 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest, shooting a putrid 8.3 percent from beyond the arc. With Neemias Queta's emergence and Luke Garza earning the backup minutes, the Celtics have seemingly given up on Boucher, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 23.
Although they won’t be able to get a quality player in return, trading Boucher would save the Celtics $9 million in luxury tax.
3. Xavier Tillman Sr., PF/C
Just like Boucher, Xavier Tillman Sr. was viewed as a potential contributor off the bench this season. However, Tillman has remained an end-of-the-bench player who’s only utilized when the team needs a spark.
Unfortunately for him, the Celtics haven’t needed his intensity and hustle. Tillman has appeared in just five games since Nov. 30. While it's not a bad role to have, it's not the one fans envisioned he'd have after his heroics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
In 13 games this season, Tillman has averaged just 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds, shooting 21.4 percent from 3-point land in 8.5 minutes per game. Although Tillman is liked and well-respected in the locker room, I don’t think he’s a crucial piece that the players would be devastated to see traded.
With Tillman in the final year of his contract and the Celtics strictly playing Queta and Garza at center, there’s no reason to keep him. Unlike with Boucher, the Celtics could receive a serviceable player in return for Tillman, but the main focus, at least in this instance, would be saving money.