The Boston Celtics have been making maneuvers all summer to get their finances in order. Facing immense pressure to shed salary to go under the punitive second apron, the Celtics had to make hard sacrifices to do so. In addition to trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics had to part ways with Luke Kornet and Al Horford in free agency. This leaves the Celtics extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt and significantly reduces their chances of being a competitive team next season.
Despite the offseason moves, the Celtics are still a very expensive team. They are only $1.9 million away from going back above the second apron with one open roster spot. Spotrac projects their tax bill for the 2025-26 season at $73 million. That is why it's safe to assume that GM Brad Stevens is not done tinkering with the roster. One of the most likely candidates to not be on the team when the offseason is over is the newly acquired Anfernee Simons.
Anfernee Simons Will Likely Be Traded Before Celtics Begin New Season
Simons arrived in Boston from Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade. The 26-year-old combo guard is a very talented scorer who can shoot the ball from all over the floor. His off-the-dribble shooting, shot creation, and playmaking are skills that the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics desperately need.
At the same time, Simons makes $27.6 million for next season, and his place on this team when Tatum returns is unclear. The fact that Payton Pritchard is able to do most of the things Simons can for a quarter of the annual salary makes it unlikely that the Celtics would be too interested in extending Simons' contract, which expires at the end of next season.
Moving on from Simons for a player making less would give the Celtics significant savings and even potentially get them under the tax. A trade involving Simons can't be finalized until September because he was just traded, but the Celtics would be wise to acquire a frontcourt player in return for the former Blazers guard. While it would have been fun to watch a dynamic scorer like Simons in a Celtics uniform, his time in Boston may come to an end before it officially kicks off.