Given the hand they were dealt, the Boston Celtics have maneuvered brilliantly to start the offseason. They had a goal to trim down their payroll and get under the second apron, and they're almost there after trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang, respectively.
Ducking the second tax will allow the Celtics to not just reset the repeater tax-payer penalty, it will also allow them to use the 2025-26 season as a gap year to reconfigure the lineup around their trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White. Suffice to say, the Celtics will be significantly worse next season, especially with Tatum nursing an Achilles tear, and they might be better off just restocking their cupboard of assets to prepare for another push come the 2026-27 campaign.
With that said here are some moves the Celtics must pull off to fulfill their goals this offseason.
Celtics must re-route Anfernee Simons
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) dribbles during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Make no mistake about it, Simons is a quality player, who, at just 26 years of age, is right in the middle of his prime. He's an explosive scorer who fits the Celtics' identity of hoisting as many threes as possible to a T. Last year, he made a career-best 215 triples for the entire season, which equates to over three made treys per night.
Simons is slotting in as a potential starter for the Celtics this upcoming season, replacing Holiday, the man they sent to the Portland Trail Blazers to shed salary. And he'll be a valuable piece even if the Celtics do keep him, as his scoring will be valuable for a team that will be without its best player next season.
Having Simons around as another ballhandler, volume shooter from three, and someone who can make plays off the bounce will be a luxury for the Celtics to have, greasing the wheels for their elite offense amid the injury to Tatum. But in terms of asset management, trading away Simons will be the smartest move.
Simons' contract is expiring, and the Celtics will have to pony up to keep him around, if only to protect him as a trade asset. But Boston will have to ask the question of whether it's worth having Simons around to block a potential breakout from Payton Pritchard in a larger role.
The very same set of skills that makes Simons valuable to the Celtics makes him an appealing trade target for any team in need of guard play. A team like the Milwaukee Bucks or the Indiana Pacers (amid Tyrese Haliburton's injury) could find someone like Simons especially valuable.
Moreover, the Celtics aren't quite in the clear yet with regards to the second apron, and dealing away Simons should be the cleanest path to trimming salary. Sam Hauser is another trade candidate, but his contract is team-friendly. Ditto for Niang, who is making just $8.2 million for the upcoming season and won't require a significant investment to keep past this season.
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And perhaps by trading Simons, the Celtics could kill two birds using just one stone.
Boston's big man situation is dire
Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) drives against LA Clippers guard Kobe Brown (21) during the third quarter at Intuit Dome.
Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Al Horford appears to be on his way to the Golden State Warriors, and the Celtics are now at risk of entering the 2025-26 campaign with Neemias Queta as their starting center. They traded Porzingis away for Niang, someone who can play small-ball five but not for extended stretches, and they haven't yet made any moves to rectify this situation, leaving the Celtics with just Queta, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman Sr. for their center rotation.
Free agency won't do the Celtics much good in this regard. The best big man options available, outside of Horford, include Chris Boucher, Trey Lyles, and Isaiah Jackson (a restricted free agent coming off an Achilles tear). And considering that they need to carve out room to make any signing so they could remain under the first apron, this isn't a tenable option.
Trading Simons could be a way for the Celtics to acquire a center and trim salary at the same time. Maybe Simons could be dealt to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic (not straight-up, but as the centerpiece of a trade), as Vucevic is making around $6 million less than the Celtics guard.
Someone like Zach Collins could also be an option, especially with Collins being in the final year of his contract as well (the Bulls should add some draft picks, however). Maybe a team such as the Dallas Mavericks would trade one of their million big men to improve their guard play beyond adding D'Angelo Russell by acquiring Simons.
It will be dire if the Celtics enter next season with their current center rotation, so fans better expect some more changes on that front before the season begins in October.