Celtics May Flip Anfernee Simons To Free Up Room For Two Key Stars
The Boston Celtics' whirlwind offseason may not be finished just yet. After trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to clear salary and reshape the roster, Boston is reportedly exploring yet another cost-cutting move, this time centered on newly acquired guard Anfernee Simons.
Advertisement
Simons arrived in Boston as part of the Holiday trade with Portland. But despite his undeniable scoring ability and smooth offensive game, league sources told The Athletic's Jay King that the Celtics are considering flipping Simons and his $27.7 million expiring contract. The motive is clear: financial flexibility.
President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens wants to re-sign key veterans Luke Kornet and Al Horford while positioning the team below the luxury tax threshold. That's a tall order, even after the Holiday and Porzingis deals, and Simons' sizable expiring deal is an obvious lever to pull.
While Simons averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists on 36.3 percent shooting from three last season, his long-term fit in Boston's system under Joe Mazzulla was already in question.
He's best with the ball in his hands, and with Derrick White entrenched as the starting point guard and Jaylen Brown expected to take on even more creation duties while Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn Achilles, Simons could find himself the odd man out.
Advertisement
He has value as a score-first guard with deep shooting range, but his defensive limitations and need for usage make him a tough fit in Boston's defense-first identity.
More importantly, his expiring contract is one of the last big trade chips the Celtics hold. Stevens is laser-focused on avoiding the repeater tax, which penalizes teams that exceed the luxury tax in consecutive years.
Boston currently sits roughly $15 million over the tax line, and trimming that would not only allow them to avoid the financial penalties but also hit the NBA's 'reset' button.
Escaping the tax for two straight years wipes the repeater status, granting teams more flexibility in future seasons. That flexibility could prove crucial once Tatum returns and Boston decides how to maneuver around his upcoming supermax deal and maintain its core.
Advertisement
Veterans like Kornet and Horford are also part of the equation. Stevens called them 'huge parts of this organization' after the draft, making it clear that keeping them is a priority.
But to do so while staying under the tax, moving Simons might be the only way. Sam Hauser's name has surfaced as another possible trade chip, but the Celtics reportedly prefer to keep him due to his elite shooting and low cap hit.
Boston already shocked the league by unloading two of their starters just a year after winning a title. But the front office is embracing a long-term view. Tatum's injury gives them a window to regroup financially, and Simons' $27.7 million could be the key to unlocking it, just after saving $260 million in two trades.
While he may never suit up in green, Simons could end up playing a major role in helping Boston retain its core and preserve its flexibility for a more competitive return in 2026.
Related: Celtics Shut Down Jaylen Brown, Derrick White Trade Rumors With Strong Statement
This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nets' Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf bring new wave of Jewish talent to NBA
NEW YORK — The Nets made history this summer, becoming the first NBA team to select five players in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, including two Jewish players in Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, the first such duo selected in the same draft since 2006. Brooklyn drafted Saraf and Wolf with consecutive picks at Nos. 26 and 27, instantly doubling the league's Jewish player count from two to four, joining Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Amari Bailey, who played for the G League Long Island Nets last season, also identifies as Jewish. Advertisement 'To be honest, it's fantastic, the way it just worked out,' Nets general manager Sean Marks said. 'If you think about it, the game of basketball is such a worldly game, played all over the globe. … What I will say is, there's talent everywhere, and that's our job, to bring in the best talent regardless of race, ethnicity and so forth.' In 2023, the UJA-Federation of New York reported approximately 1.4 million Jews in the New York area. Brooklyn, the most crowded Jewish borough with about one-third of this population, now features two prominent ambassadors in Saraf and Wolf. Jacob Gurvis of Jewish Community Voice reports that Saraf, the son of two former Israeli professional basketball players, wears No. 77, symbolizing the Hebrew word 'mazal,' which means luck. Wolf gained Israeli citizenship to compete for Israel at the FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece. 'It's definitely going to be unique having them both here and we're excited about that,' Marks said. 'I know the borough is excited about that. I know the Jewish community here is very excited about that, too.' Advertisement Saraf, the third point guard selected by the Nets on draft night, averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 42 games for Ratiopharm Ulm last season. In 2023-24, he played for Elitzur Kiryat Ata in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, earning the league's top young prospect award. He was also named MVP of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, leading the tournament with 28.1 points per game. The 19-year-old believes his overseas professional experience will set him apart in Brooklyn. 'I've been playing pro for three years now, so I've played a lot of games so far,' Saraf said. 'I think it's going to be helpful knowing how to manage your body, to really stick to your routines and be willing to compete every night so things can translate the right away for the NBA.' Wolf, the Nets' only non-guard pick in 2025, averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game at Michigan last season, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance. Previously, he earned All-Ivy League honors at Yale over two seasons. The 21-year-old also helped Israel secure a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece, where he practiced with Saraf. Advertisement 'I think just the jump I made from Yale to Michigan and now — obviously the NBA is a different animal and going to have to keep working on a lot of different things, but I think there's just a lot of different things I can do on a basketball court,' Wolf said. 'Whatever coach Jordi and the staff want me to do, I'm going to do to the best of my ability, while still working and developing to become that kind of player.' Beyond their Jewish heritage and tireless work ethic, positional versatility connects Saraf, Wolf and Brooklyn's 2025 draft class. Marks credits David Blatt, a former NBA head coach and Israeli American basketball executive, for aiding in identifying Saraf and Wolf during the draft process. 'I think words of wisdom are always important,' Marks said. 'I have a lot of respect for Coach Blatt, as a person, as a coach. And when we do our due diligence, you want to watch the players themselves, but also you need to know all the things that you didn't know. And everything was very positive coming from coach Blatt. He really liked these two guys, and he knew them pretty well. So, he really helped us and finally we were lucky enough to get them both here.' Now teammates in Brooklyn, Saraf and Wolf have the opportunity to represent Israel on basketball's biggest stage. Though both are considered developmental projects — Saraf must improve his outside shooting, and Wolf needs to clean up turnover issues — their future looks promising. On a rebuilding Nets team, they could make an immediate impact. Advertisement 'I think I really enjoyed watching Ben overseas,' Marks said. 'We went over to watch him live a couple of times, so it was great to watch how hard he competes. I think that was something that really stood out, passing ability, pride on defense. I think he's playing at a high level over there. 'Danny, I think we already sort of talked a little about the high IQ and a skill set that's very unique for a person his size. So, to see him out there, other teams continue trying to figure out, well, how do we stop him? Who do we guard him with? What system do we put around him? And that's a unique problem to have, right? How do we use both of those young men to the best of their abilities and watch them grow and so forth.'
Washington Post
12 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump affirms 50% tariff on copper imports will start Aug. 1
President Donald Trump on Wednesday affirmed that the United States will levy a 50 percent tariff on copper imports starting Aug. 1, following through on an earlier statement that he would target a key metal used for semiconductors, lithium ion batteries, renewable energy technology and more. 'America will, once again, build a DOMINANT Copper Industry,' Trump said Wednesday evening on Truth Social.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Watch These Microsoft Price Levels as Stock Closes Above $500 for First Time
Microsoft shares hit another record high on Wednesday as the tech giant's market capitalization moves closer to $4 trillion. After bottoming out near the 200-week moving average in early April, Microsoft shares have remained in a strong uptrend, gaining in 12 of the past 14 weeks. Bars Pattern analysis forecasts a potential bullish target of around $565 and indicates the current move higher may last until early September. Investors should watch crucial support levels on Microsoft's chart near $468 and $ (MSFT) shares hit another record high on Wednesday as the tech giant's market capitalization moves closer to $4 trillion. The company's market cap trails only that of Nvidia (NVDA), which briefly surpassed the $4 trillion level early in Wednesday's trading session, becoming the first company to ever achieve the milestone. Microsoft shares rose more than 1% to around $503 on Wednesday, putting the company's market value at $3.74 trillion. The stock has risen 46% from its early-April low and is nearly 20% higher year-to-date as of Wednesday's close investment bank Oppenheimer believes the tech titan has room for further upside, placing a $600 price target on Microsoft stock, in part, due to the company's AI revenue growth prospects. Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told clients in a note Wednesday that he anticipates Microsoft to reach the $4 trillion mark this summer. Below, we take a closer look at Microsoft's weekly chart and use technical analysis to identify price levels that investors will likely be watching. After bottoming near the 200-week moving average in early April, Microsoft shares have remained in a strong uptrend, gaining in 12 of the past 14 weeks. While the relative strength index confirms bullish price momentum, it has recently crossed into overbought territory, an area on the indicator that has previously coincided with consolidation phases in the stock. It's worth noting that the volume has trended downward during the stock's move higher in recent months, indicating that some larger institutional investors may be waiting for the tech giant's next earnings report before deploying more capital. Let's turn to Microsoft's chart to forecast where the shares may be headed next and also locate several crucial support levels worth monitoring during potential pullbacks in the stock. Investors can use bars pattern analysis to forecast how Microsoft's current move higher may play out. When applying the technique, we take the trend higher from March to July 2023 and reposition it from the stock's strong close above the 50-week MA in April. This analysis projects a potential bullish target of around $565, currently about 12% above Wednesday's closing price. The prior trend analyzed took place over 18 trading weeks, indicating the current move higher could last until early September if price action rhymes. We selected this earlier trend as it followed a strong close above the 50-week MA and closely tracks how the current move higher is playing out after a similar close above the indicator. The first lower level to watch sits around $468, an area that will likely gain significant attention near last July's prominent swing high. Investors could seek buying opportunities here if Microsoft bulls can successfully defend this crucial chart location. Finally, a deeper retracement could see the shares revisit lower support at the $425 level. This area finds a confluence of support from the rising 50-week MA and a trendline that links an array of trading activity on the chart extending back to March last year. The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed on Investopedia are for informational purposes only. Read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info. As of the date this article was written, the author does not own any of the above securities. Read the original article on Investopedia Sign in to access your portfolio
