DALLAS — Every single time the Celtics boarded the team plane to embark on a roadtrip this season, Anfernee Simons has sat right next to Baylor Scheierman.
But when the Celtics boarded their flight from Dallas to Houston late Tuesday night, Scheierman’s seatmate was nowhere to be found.
That’s because, as the Celtics prepare to face the Houston Rockets, Simons is headed to Chicago, where he was traded earlier Tuesday afternoon in exchange for veteran big man Nikola Vucevic.
And, though all of the Celtics understand that midseason trades are a part of the business, it doesn’t necessarily make things any easier.
“We had a growing relationship that was really good,” Scheierman said. “He’s just a good dude. Was a great teammate. As far as a basketball player, obviously, very talented — came in and put his work in, did things the right way, and cared about the people here. I’m definitely sad to see him go.”
Such is life across the NBA in early February.
On Tuesday alone, sixteen players across the league were reportedly traded, while 5 players switched teams earlier in the week.
Players understand it’s part of the business. They say all the right things. In line with that, ahead of the Celtics’ Tuesday night game against the Dallas Mavericks, head coach Jason Kidd noted that midseason trades were “in the small print” of players’ contracts.
“Those guys in that locker room are pros, professionals that understand that they could be traded after the game or before the game or during the game,” Kidd said. “We’ve seen it all.”
But that doesn’t erase the human component of the trade deadline
For Xavier Tillman, Tuesday’s Anfernee Simons trade is a family affair. Tillman’s children are close friends with Simon’s kids, and whenever the Celtics were on the road this season, the two players’ children and significant others oftentimes spent extended time at each others’ homes.
“That’s the hardest part for sure,” Tillman said. “The kids are building these relationships that they hope are lifelong.”
However, Tillman is a veteran, and it’s not the first time his family has been through this; his kids also became very close with Jrue Holiday’s children over the past two seasons. So, after Jrue was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Tillmans visited the Holidays over the summer, and they continue to ensure the friendship is cultivated.
“We told Ant [Anfernee Simons], this summer, we’re gonna make sure we spend some time as a family together,” Tillman said. “Because our kids really did build a really good bond, and our wives did as well — they’re part of our chosen family.”
On Saturday, on a rare Celtics offday, Xavier Tillman and Anfernee Simons sat courtside at a Boston College basketball game.
On Saturday, on a rare Celtics offday, Xavier Tillman and Anfernee Simons sat courtside at a Boston College basketball game.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tillman is still extremely close with his former teammates from Memphis, where he spent the first four seasons of his NBA career.
“You have to be,” Tillman said, “because they are the only people who actually understand what we go through on a day-to-day basis.”
Joe Mazzulla centered the human side of the trade deadline
Luka Garza said that Mazzulla addressed some of the players on Tuesday in the wake of Simons’ trade, and the humanity with which he approached the situation stood out.
“Most coaches that I’ve been around kind of pretty much avoid talking about it,” said Garza, who is in his fifth year in the league. “Joe kind of said to me today — understand that we’re all humans, and it’s a business, but at the same time, he understands that what we’re all going through and stuff, which meant a lot.”
For Mazzulla, the decision to humanize is an extension of how he views everything. The trade deadline is a difficult time, but other times might be as well, and the Celtics coach makes sure to acknowledge the off-court stuff year-round.
“You just have to understand that they’re more than basketball players — they’re people, they’re humans, they got families,” Mazzulla said. “And the more you can just create an environment where you’re there for those guys, it helps get through a long season.”
And Jaylen Brown spoke at length after the Celtics win over the Mavericks on Tuesday.
“Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me — it’s a business, but there’s a human aspect to it,” Brown said, noting that Simons has won the Celtics several games. But, like the rest of the Celtics, he emphasized that it’s the human being he’ll miss most.
“He’s just a great, great person, great kid on and off the floor, just humble — I hope he gets everything that he’s looking for just because he just fit right in with his group of guys in our locker room,” Brown said. “He could have had different thoughts, and thought differently, and his energy could have been different. He was a great teammate and did everything he needed to do that we asked him and more and contributed to winning. So Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me, and I hope he gets everything he deserves.”
Tillman acknowledged that NBA players get paid handsomely and that all of it is a part of the game. But it doesn’t necessarily make it easier.
“It’s like a friend that you had, that you’ve been growing a relationship with, and all of a sudden, they just picked up and left ,and they didn’t want to,” Tillman said. “It’s that kind of vibe.”
Scheierman, who is in his second season in the NBA, has a healthy mindset ahead of the trade deadline, the one that players often echo.
“You can only control what you can control,” Scheierman said before the Celtics’ game in Dallas on Tuesday. “You can’t really focus on that. It’s outside of our control. And so we come and then get ready to play and put our best effort out there.”
The Celtics certainly put forth their best effort out there on Tuesday night, coming away with a 110-100 win over the Mavericks to improve to 32-18 on the year.
But the feeling in the locker room postgame was slightly different from a typical win.
“They always talk about it being a business, but you build relationships with people, and you grow to really care about them and their families,” Tillman said. “And it’s always tough to see your friends get separated from you.”