The Celtics season took a turn on Tuesday when the team agreed to trade away Anfernee Simons and a 2026 second-round pick to the Bulls for Nikola Vucevic and a 2027 second-round pick. The move will not become official later this week but Simons was not active on Tuesday night as the Celtics blew out the Mavericks in Dallas.
The move will bolster Boston’s frontcourt depth as Vucevic is averaging 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range this year. However, the Celtics lost a key part of their success this year in Simons, which led to some words of reflection in the locker room after the game.
“Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me,” Jaylen Brown told reporters in Dallas Tuesday night. “It’s a business, but there’s a human aspect to it. And since he’s been here, he’s contributed to winning. He’s won us some games.
“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. He could have had different thoughts, and thought differently, and his energy could have been different. Man, 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.”
Simons will join a Bulls team with plenty of guards in the backcourt currently, but that could change before Thursday’s trade deadline. The 26-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this summer but could have a big opportunity in Chicago to audition for a starting role if players like Coby White are moved this week.
Ultimately, Simons boosted his trade stock in Boston by excelling in a reserve role, which earned him plenty of fans in the locker room.
“I love Ant,” Payton Pritchard told reporters in Dallas via NBC Sports Boston. “When you build a bond with teammates, it’s tough to see them leave. The Al Horford, the Jrue Holiday, Luke, KP, now Anfernee. You definitely miss them. It’s part of the part of the business, so you wish him well, and then, when you see him, you gotta go at him.”
It won’t take long for the Celtics to see their former teammate in a new uniform as the Bulls visit Boston next Wednesday night.