The NBA world knew that Anfernee Simons' time with the Boston Celtics could get short after he was traded away by the Portland Trail Blazers during the offseason.
Despite Simons being a thriving guard who is on the rise to NBA stardom, the Celtics already have a core group of scorers. And when Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles recovery, that would diminish Simons' role further.
As the Celtics are seen as overachieving this year, they are making win-now moves at the trade deadline. It's no secret that acquiring front-court help was at the top of Boston's to-do list. They landed on Nikola Vucevic-it would cost Simons.
Respect From Jaylen Brown
Simons is on the move, but not without the stamp of approval from an established NBA All-Star.
"Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me," Brown told reporters on Tuesday night.
"It's a business, but there's a human aspect to it. 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. Like, I hope he gets everything that he's looking for."
Simons saw his production take a dip since joining the Celtics. In 49 games, he came off the bench for 24.5 minutes per outing. The veteran made 44 percent of his shots from the field, producing 14.2 points per game.
Along with his scoring, Simons averages 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. During his seven-year tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers, Simons averaged 38 percent from three, while racking up 15.0 points per game and 33 assists per game.
Beyond his on-court impact, Simons landed a lot of praise from Brown for simply being a positive presence, even despite the fact that he understood there might not be a long-term future for him in Boston.
"Man, he was a great teammate and did everything he needed to do that we asked him, and more. He contributed to winning. So Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me, and I hope he gets everything he deserves."
Simons will head to the Chicago Bulls, who are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-27 record. Seeing as though the Bulls are on the path to a potential rebuild, it's unclear if there is a future in store for the 26-year-old veteran in Chicago.
The 2025-2026 NBA season is the final run for Simons' four-year, $100 million contract. He's on pace to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer.
Newsweek