Shams: Celtics Trade Jrue Holiday to Portland for Anfernee Simons, Two Second-Round Picks

[HMFFL]

I hope Boston extends Anfernee Simons. I don't expect it to happen right now but he has one year left at $27.6 million.

Boston cleared money off their payroll, but otherwise, the return is not that great.

[basketballRob]

Boston got a little more offense.

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[Upperclass]

This is as bad as the luka trade. Simon’s is now Curry east.

[basketballRob]

I was always afraid that if Orlando traded for him that Bill Duffy would want a big contract extension.

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[iggymcfrack]

Simons is supremely overated. So they didn't want to pay holiday but will not go and give Simons 30 mil a year? The guy is a horrible defender.
This doesn't really move the needle much for Boston in my eyes.

No, of course they're not doing that. Boston's just taking advantage of the chance to get off Jrue's contract for an expiring and get draft capital in the process. They could move Simons on to another destination now for a cheaper player, they could let him play out the season while Tatum's out, and then let him walk, or they could move him in a sign and trade next summer, but this definitely isn't something where they're looking to extend him out into the future when they already have an excellent backcourt of Pritchard and White.

[robbie84]

I don't know why some individuals keep saying this but Jrue is not washed. He was dealing with an injury most of last season. When healthy again, he is a difference maker in the playoffs.

getting injured is one of the main parts of being washed. Bron and KD and Steph are still great when they are on the court, they just can't go more than two months without pulling a groin or a hamstring.

He played 62 games and locked everyone down lol

[JimmyFromNz]

Interesting views on 'veteran presence', that all sounds very flakey as I'm sure most teams don't choose to sign up to this for $134 million.

Jrue is 35 years old and has slowed noticeably. Adding him with significant multi year salary commitments does not make sense, whilst if you are wanting assets to flip you keep Simons expiring and the picks - not the declining asset that would be very unlikely to recoup the value you gave up for it.

Whichever vagaries people want to paint over this (intangibles or asset positioning), this doesn't make a good deal of sense for Portland.

[JustLucky]

wait they traded for a 35 year old with 3 years left on his contract? wut

[Magic_Johnny12]

People still don’t understand that “value” is subjective around the league and there’s sometimes value aspects of a trade that cannot be quantified just on paper.

Maybe Portland needs Holidays veteran presence.
Maybe Portland wants stability in their backcourt.
Maybe Portland wants to adopt a defensive identity.
Maybe Portland wants to win.

Or maybe Simons doesn’t have the value you thought he had? One dimensional- overpaid tweener shooter that was just acquired as a mere salary dump play.

If there’s a guy to “overpay” for what he could contribute off-court, Holiday probably a top-3 player in that regard and sometimes you have to pay for that if you’re an organization looking for a little more maturity/professionalism.

[thelead]

Portland certainly loves often-injured, high-cost vets, don’t they?

[UcanUwill]

What’s Portland doing?

Legit totally confused by this. I know they’ve always loved Holiday as a player, I guess a mentor for Scoot in who they want him to become… but also just took on a **** of money. 2nd rounders are meaningless, so I could care less there.

Yeah, I think it is more mentorhsip and vet thing. Reminds me a bit of Houston SIgning FVV, tho of course FVV was way younger, Jrue is 35. I guess SImons value was just this bad and he was just not in their plans at all?

[JimmyFromNz]

People still don’t understand that “value” is subjective around the league and there’s sometimes value aspects of a trade that cannot be quantified just on paper.

Maybe Portland needs Holidays veteran presence.
Maybe Portland wants stability in their backcourt.
Maybe Portland wants to adopt a defensive identity.
Maybe Portland wants to win.

Or maybe Simons doesn’t have the value you thought he had? One dimensional- overpaid tweener shooter that was just acquired as a mere salary dump play.

If there’s a guy to “overpay” for what he could contribute off-court, Holiday probably a top-3 player in that regard and sometimes you have to pay for that if you’re an organization looking for a little more maturity/professionalism.

Sure, some of that long list of 'maybes' could be true, it doesn't make it an objectively good deal.

Sometimes, as we saw with a similar philosophy in the Jerami Grant deal, a little less subjectivity could help.

[pepe1991]

Celtics:
- got 9 years younger player
- got player on lesser salary, who is upcoming UFA and can easy get rid of him
- lowered their total salary cap (still not below second apron )
- can try to incorporate Simons in their plans, or let him walk
- escaped $100M payroll for guy who will be 37 and make $37M , and he is on decline already


As for Simons and his value as player, there was one mid 20s- part time starter, who averaged 3 apg, shot 34-35% for 3 for career, wasn't creative play maker to play PG, nor that good of a shooter to be starter at SG on mediocre teams. His name was Derrick. Easy to look back with hindsight and bark how you could see how great White will become, but in reality, until Celtics "overpaid" for him, he was just part time starter on mediocre team. Nothing else.

When trade happened, lot of Celtics fans and media hated it. Josh Richards, first round pick, pick swap and Romeo Langford for guy who averaged 15 ppg , 5,6 apg on 41% FG, 31% for 3 on a team that kind a sucked. White wasn't even young, he was 27. In half of a season when he learned how to "play make", he forgot how to shoot

And looking back, Derrick White trade was one of moves that shifted Celtics toward title.

Celtics are best team in one thing: making bad players look fine and good players looking great. Vast majority of players that worked for them, sucked everywhere else. Like Theis, Rob Will, Grant Williams, Smart, Rozier, non of them worked well for any other team. I'll never forget that they somehow got something out of Semi Ojeleye . Guy is bench player in Eurocup now

Is Simons new White? No. But he is overhated nowadays among "smart fans". Truth is, playing with system that can create him lot of open catch and shoot looks, Simons can be lethal. Guy shot 48% in catch and shoot 3s several years back. On 226 attempts. Defense is problematic, but not every player has to be Tony Allen or Caruso.


Why Blazers did this? Leadership? I have no clue. Makes no sense. Maybe they have no plans to keep Ayton and they lot of expiring salary makes them not care about salary cap? Scoot has some cheap years left, Avdija is cheap.
But man, they Grant and Jrue eat up 40% of salary cap for two over a hill, declining vets.

Anyway, Celtics won trade. This is A++ trade for them.

[FarBeyondDriven]

Simons is supremely overated. So they didn't want to pay holiday but will not go and give Simons 30 mil a year? The guy is a horrible defender.
This doesn't really move the needle much for Boston in my eyes.

I think he got the shaft tbh. Half the battle with young prospects is landing spot. He's drafted to a team that already had an established backourt with CJ and Dame and he's pretty much smack dab in the middle of those two skill set and size wise so he is a decent backup for them until CJ is moved. But as was the issue with CJ and Dame, them not being complimentary, Simons and Dame have the same issue. Finally Dame leaves but now the Blazers are a bad rebuilding team and Simons is long in the tooth and going to be too expensive so they draft Scoot.

Simons didn't hide his frustrations and I think knew the writing was on the wall so his effort on defense wasn't great. A change of scenery could do wonders for him. He's so damn talented that if he buys in on that end, and I don't think Brad Stevens trades for him unless he thought he would, he's the type of guy teams (Boston or others) will happily sign to a long-term contract when he's just entering his prime.

[doogie_hauser]

Simons is supremely overated. So they didn't want to pay holiday but will not go and give Simons 30 mil a year? The guy is a horrible defender.
This doesn't really move the needle much for Boston in my eyes.

I think he got the shaft tbh. Half the battle with young prospects is landing spot. He's drafted to a team that already had an established backourt with CJ and Dame and he's pretty much smack dab in the middle of those two skill set and size wise so he is a decent backup for them until CJ is moved. But as was the issue with CJ and Dame, them not being complimentary, Simons and Dame have the same issue. Finally Dame leaves but now the Blazers are a bad rebuilding team and Simons is long in the tooth and going to be too expensive so they draft Scoot.

Simons didn't hide his frustrations and I think knew the writing was on the wall so his effort on defense wasn't great. A change of scenery could do wonders for him. He's so damn talented that if he buys in on that end, and I don't think Brad Stevens trades for him unless he thought he would, he's the type of guy teams (Boston or others) will happily sign to a long-term contract when he's just entering his prime.

Brad wouldn't have traded for Simon's if he didn't think he could be a valuable contributor to the Celtics..

[Mamba81p]

Celtics will shoot more than 50 3s per game this season, lol. Simmons might take 10 a game. That is if they keep him.

[Lalouie]

guess i'm a portland fan now

but never will i root for ayton though. it would be an act i deem unholy
i hope the celts cr@p their shorts. green and brown make a stunning color combo

[itrsteve]

It’s crazy on a site like RGM that most posters will only look at trades in the very narrow lens of talent vs talent and ignore that there’s a 100+ page CBA of confusing nonsense to navigate.

This is nothing more than contract engineering and maneuvering out of the second apron.

Love Jrue and banner 18 doesn’t happen without him but it appears Brad did pretty well with this one.

[JujitsuFlip]

Celtics get a cheaper deal that is expiring.

Probably still need to move Hauser or KP to have enough room under the 2nd apron to fill out the roster.

[RB34]

I don’t know why people are talking about moving the needle for Boston.

JT just snapped his achilles. There isn’t any moving the needle at the moment. This is cap Tetris.