Celtics trade pitch lands high-flying forward for Anfernee Simons

Yahoo

3 days ago

The Boston Celtics are in desperate need of frontcourt help amid their retooling effort and could turn to another Eastern Conference team to strike a deal.
The Celtics traded away star center Kristaps Porzingis in a cost-cutting move this offseason and are also expected to lose Al Horford in free agency. With a lackluster center group, along with Sam Hauser and Georges Niang at power forward, the team could be looking to acquire another big man this summer.
SI.com recently put together a mock trade that would reroute Anfernee Simons to the Indiana Pacers, giving the Celtics another forward while Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn Achilles.
Here's their proposed trade:
Celtics receive: Obi Toppin, 2027 first-round pick (lottery protected via IND)
Pacers receive: Anfernee Simons, Jordan Walsh
Hawks receive: Jarace Walker
The Celtics are unlikely to contend for a title this season as Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign. However, Toppin is under contract through the 2028-29 season and would immediately bolster Boston's frontcourt. He'd likely step into a starting role this season, whereas he's still expected to back up Pascal Siakam in Indiana.
MORE: NBA writer urges Celtics to address center depth amid rocky offseason
Still, Simons is on an expiring contract, so Walker, Toppin and a lottery protected first-round pick may be too steep a price for the Pacers. On the other hand, Simons could be a solid short-term replacement for Tyrese Haliburton, who has already been ruled out for 2025-26 due to a torn Achilles.
This trade could make sense if the Pacers want to shed salary by next offseason, though they still have Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell to run the point while Haliburton is sidelined.
While adjustments would be needed to complete this trade, the basic framework makes sense for Boston and could also appeal to the Pacers if they are looking to free up cap space following their gap year.
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