Proposed 3-Team Trade Sees Celtics Salary Dump Simons

The Boston Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons as part of the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Simons, 26, is in the final year of his current contract and will earn $27.6 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.

It’s no surprise, then, that Boston has reportedly been seeking out potential trade partners. Yet, to this point, there doesn’t appear to have been much traction, meaning Simons could start the 2025-26 season as a member of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has other ideas. In a recent trade proposal from Bailey, he pieced together a three-team deal that would allow the Celtics to shed considerable salary. His full trade proposal looks like this:

Boston Celtics Get: Terance Mann, Ochai Agbaji and a 2030 second-round pick from Toronto

Toronto Raptors Get: Anfernee Simons

Brooklyn Nets Get: R.J. Barrett and a 2031 second-round pick from Boston

“This move doesn’t quite achieve that ultimate goal, but it would bring the Celtics below the first-apron line, while also giving them a flyer on a young(ish) wing in 25-year-old Ochai Agbaji and another potential trade chip in Terance Mann,” Bailey wrote. “…Boston is also giving up a second-rounder to the team taking the biggest financial hit in this trade, just to sort of grease the wheels, but it’s getting one back for sending the best individual player (or at least the best offensive player) to the Toronto Raptors.”

For the Celtics, any deal involving Simons that can help them get out of the tax is a good move. Brad Stevens has been looking to shed salary all summer.

Three Contenders Interested in Simons

According to Sam Amico of HoopsWire, all three teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets all have interest in acquiring Simons.

“The Sixers are looking to bounce back from a lost year after injuries to Joel Embiid and Paul George,” Amico reported. “You could make a strong case for them as the league’s biggest flop in 2024-25… They (the Denver Nuggets) are said to be looking for backcourt help behind starters Jamal Murray and Christian Braun — but given their salary constraints, it would take a minor miracle to pull off another deal…Sources said the Bucks could be another team that will make a run at Simons before training camp.”

Unfortunately for the Celtics, all three of the aforementioned teams are dealing with cap issues. The Sixers have no one in that mid-tier salary range to help put a package together. The Nuggets have their own cap issues. And the Bucks likely don’t have anyone of interest to the Celtics.

A Simons Trade Could Happen In-Season

Even if Stevens is unable to find a trade partner this summer, the Celtics could still move Simons during the season. There are over six months left until the February 2026 trade deadline. Anything can happen during that time.

Simons could play a big role within the Celtics’ offense this season. That will help put him in the shop window. If he can thrive as a go-to scoring option, that could entice some contenders to sit at the negotiating table. However, given his current salary, finding a fair deal will be tough.

Nevertheless, the Celtics have time on their side when it comes to trading Simons. Sooner or later, an interested team is bound to pick up the phone, and that’s when Stevens can work his magic once again.