How Anfernee Simons trade helps Boston Celtics in future deals

Yahoo

25-06-2025

The Celtics were all but guaranteed to make several trades this summer to clear their payroll. They made their first big move of the offseason by trading Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two future second-round picks.
Immediately, this has the makings of a positive trade for the Celtics from a salary cap perspective. They save $4.7 million for next year's cap hit, which is a start as more trades are expected down the line. The C's are still about $18 million above the second apron line, so further deals will be necessary to keep chipping away at that number. Holiday, 35, also doesn't match Boston's timeline while Simons, 26, could conceivably fit with either the Celtics or a different team.
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But beyond how Simons fits on the roster, the Celtics made this deal for salary purposes. They get out of Holiday's contract, which still has three years and $104 million going forward. Simons, in comparison, is an expiring contract and will make $27.7 million this upcoming year.
Most importantly, the Celtics got a positive asset in Simons — that's a big benefit. That goes beyond the fit and how he could play on a Boston roster that's bound to see more changes in the coming weeks. Not only did the C's land a young player on an expiring contract, they also added a pair of future second-round draft picks. This first trade allows the front office to be flexible going forward because they didn't need to attach any assets just to get off Holiday's contract.
Simons is an effective offensive player who should turn some heads if he does indeed stay put with the Celtics for the upcoming season. He's a shotmaker and playmaker who's also a career 38.1% 3-point shooter. From an offensive standpoint, there's a lot to like as the Celtics can deploy him in a number of different ways.
It gets clunky defensively within the context of the current roster. Simons is 6-foot-3 and isn't the most physical defender. Compared to the versatile Holiday, that's a big step back on that end. Plus, Payton Pritchard is also a smaller, offensive-minded guard, so how Simons and Pritchard fit alongside each other is another question mark.
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Expect the Celtics to continue shopping in the coming days considering the 2025 NBA Draft is now just a day away. Teams across the league are going to be incentivized to get deals done ahead of the draft, so that's when the Celtics can make some follow-up moves. There are still contracts on the roster like Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser who will garner interest, allowing the Celtics to cut more salary.
For now, this Holiday deal was just the first one domino. Boston president Brad Stevens has done a stellar job of navigating the C's roster ever since taking over back in the summer of 2021. The follow-up moves will be more important than this first deal, but it certainly looks like the Celtics are well-positioned going forward.
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Read the original article on MassLive.