The Boston Celtics finally added some NBA-caliber depth to their frontcourt. No offense to Luka Garza or Josh Minott, both of whom should be able to contribute, but neither has really cracked a top-8 NBA rotation. Chris Boucher comes from Toronto, where he was a major contributor to their championship team in 2019 and is a reliable shooter off the bench at the power forward position. In the roster's current construction, he may even get a shot a starting consistently for the first time in his career.
That's all well and good, and it's smart for the Celtics to add a veteran to a frontcourt that currently has no players with more than five years of NBA experience. Most of them, outside of Sam Hauser, have sat at the end of the bench for that time, so this year will be their first crack at real minutes. Boucher can act as a mentor and provide valuable guidance for Garza, Minott, and Neemias Queta as they work through some growing pains.
Boucher being signed to just one year screams of a Jayson Tatum roster placeholder. Sure, the Celtics needed another competent big man who could eat some minutes, but Garza and Minott were signed early because Brad Stevens wants to attempt to find younger, cheaper players to develop this year. This season will be about finding out who will play rotation minutes or be the starting center for the 2026-27 season.
So if this is a youth movement season, what do the Celtics do next? The core is firmly Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Payton Pritchard. Everything else is expendable. The next greatest asset is the work "aggregation". Celtics fans have learned in painstaking detail the ins and outs of the collective bargaining agreement. The Celtics are so close to being below the FIRST APRON, they can taste it. So what should Brad Stevens do next?
Celtics Will Trade Anfernee Simons and Xavier Tillman Next
Let's start with Anfernee Simons. A quick search of "Anfernee Simons", "press conference," and "Celtics" shows one real result. It's a post from Bill Simmons from July, referencing the great Brian Windhorst meme.
"Weird that the Celtics never did a press conference welcoming Anfernee Simons to the team."Bill Simmons
"Now why would that be?" Georges Niang also didn't get a presser (he did do some media), and he lasted 29 days. Simons has more value and could bring back better assets when moved. Simons has been involved in trade rumors since he arrived in Boston and the Niang deal only continues to fuel those rumors. With a rotation of Pritchard, White, and the desire to see what they have in Baylor Scheierman, there may not be enough of a role for Simons.
As an expiring $27 million asset, Simons could bring back similar value in a 1-for-1 trade. Adding an additional $2 million and change from Xavier Tillman's contract gets you close to the $30 million per year range, and that is where there are some significant talents. This isn't to state that the players mentioned would be made available, but names like Tyler Herro, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Suggs, and Jarrett Allen all fit that range.
When the next move comes, it will be in Brad Stevens best interest to get into that $30 million range. That can bring back one of the above-mentioned assets or a couple of younger assets on rookie deals. Either way, Anfernee Simons and Xavier Tillman should be feeling the heat as Stevens shapes the roster for the future.