2025-2026: Around the League

[eyriq]

Simons on his Gary Trent Jr. arch.

[Skybox]

I don’t get this POR at all…”mentor” is a nice story, but that’s a BIG financial obligation for an old guy…whether he’s better than Simons or not is secondary. They’d have been better off buying Simons out if removing him was the point.

Watch how Simons plays for BOS now…good team, great coach, defensive culture, contender mentality up and down the roster. …and the savings!

[basketballRob]

Portland will try to make the playoffs next season. Players like Grant are losing value because they sit out so much.

I doubt Bill Duffy gives Boston any breaks on an extension for Simons.

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[eyriq]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

[basketballRob]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

I think Suggs and Isaac are the key players for the Magic. If they can both play around 70 games, we can be in the top 2 or 3.

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[Knightro]

I do respect that Portland wants to win now, but it feels like they could have gone a different direction that wasn’t a 35-year-old role player with 3 years, 104.4M left on his contract.

[basketballRob]

I do respect that Portland wants to win now, but it feels like they could have gone a different direction that wasn’t a 35-year-old role player with 3 years, 104.4M left on his contract.

It could make sense if Simons wants more on his extension.

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[tiderulz]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

I would almost swap Boston and Detroit. Will be interesting to see what moves Detroit makes this summer.

[eyriq]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

I would almost swap Boston and Detroit. Will be interesting to see what moves Detroit makes this summer.

I could see dropping the Celtics down a tier but not bumping the Pistons up a tier. I think the deep roster and elite coaching for the Celtics is the differentiator.

[YosemiteSam]

The main reason I hate the fact this trade happened is because I am just continually perplexed at why other teams in the league bail the Celtics out for their bad contracts year after year. It’s like the Celtics never worry about signing a long-term deal because there’s always a sucker team out there ready to take on their overrated veterans on long-term deals.

I don’t think it matters much for next year as I am not a believer that Simons is so great but it annoys me that Boston got out of the contract jail for the Holiday long-term signing without having to suffer and give up picks.

When was the last time somebody traded with Boston for one of their long-term contract role players and felt like they got value? So why do teams keep doing it? It reminds me of how everyone just keeps trading their stars to the Lakers.

[UCFJayBird]

What a horrible trade for Portland. Having said that I was never completely sold on Simons as a really good option here, outside the namesake He's a solid player, just don't think he'd be the fit Bane will be (hopefully that's true, lol).

[tiderulz]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

I would almost swap Boston and Detroit. Will be interesting to see what moves Detroit makes this summer.

I could see dropping the Celtics down a tier but not bumping the Pistons up a tier. I think the deep roster and elite coaching for the Celtics is the differentiator.

Well, Detroit finished 6th. and they get Ivey back. and have some money to spend. Cade came into his own more too. As i said, depending on the moves, I could see them moving up a tier.

[JoshuaPotter]

The main reason I hate the fact this trade happened is because I am just continually perplexed at why other teams in the league bail the Celtics out for their bad contracts year after year. It’s like the Celtics never worry about signing a long-term deal because there’s always a sucker team out there ready to take on their overrated veterans on long-term deals.

I don’t think it matters much for next year as I am not a believer that Simons is so great but it annoys me that Boston got out of the contract jail for the Holiday long-term signing without having to suffer and give up picks.

When was the last time somebody traded with Boston for one of their long-term contract role players and felt like they got value? So why do teams keep doing it? It reminds me of how everyone just keeps trading their stars to the Lakers.

Not only contract jail but a viable scorer in the absence of Tatum. They can realistically be a playoff team this year that beats a higher seeded team due to the fact that a lot of good pieces are still there to do the needed damage.

[Skybox]

Early tiers based on odds and experts

Tier 1: the favorites
Cavs, Knicks

Tier 2: viable contenders
Magic, Celtics, Bucks

Tier 3: solid playoff teams
Pistons, Pacers, 76ers

Tier 4: play-in hopefuls
Heat, Hawks, Bulls

Tier 5: team building
Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Nets

I would almost swap Boston and Detroit. Will be interesting to see what moves Detroit makes this summer.

Yeah...everybody may have more significant moves coming, so hard to guess.

But,
if PHI is healthy, they are Tier 1...I'd say they're Tier 1 or out of it completely
I could see Pistons making a big move and taking a leap forward potentially...we're not the only ones who see the opportunity
I can't imagine MIA starts the season with the same roster they currently have...they're just too historically ambitious to stand pat
TOR, on paper, could make a giant jump, imo...they had a lot of injuries last year and added Ingram and a high pick incoming
I could easily see BOS being the "surprise" team in the East with Simons bombing away, surrounded by that excellent system & culture
Would Beal accept a deal to MIL to go to war with Giannis? Not sure what incentive there is for PHX to take Lillard (even more $$ than Beal)
ORL's biggest questions, imo...
-Does upgraded talent without a whole new offensive system accomplish anything other than destroying another shooter's legacy?
-Can WCJ & Isaac stay healthy and reliable and regain their peak 3pt shooting along with elite defense? (if so... )
-Who will ORL add in the next few weeks to bolster their bench? We need at least one guy with tight handles for the playoffs
...Bane and Suggs at "kind of PG" will get us through the regular season, but defenses will clamp down on relatively weak primary ballhandlers later.
...We need a flamethrower scoring guard off the bench to complement AB...Jase might be the guy, but likelier a vet via trade or MLE

[VFX]

I don’t really care about Simons fwiw. Bane is a better player albeit Orlando gave up more and better assets…

It’s just annoying that Boston got bailed out AND won this trade easily. This would never happen for Orlando. Instead of making difficult decisions they just found some bad FO to offload their problems.

This would be the equivalent of trading Jonathan Isaac on LAST years deal to Houston for Tari Eason and two second round picks. So you got younger, better, cheaper, and more assets out of the deal? The kicker is that Portland isn’t winning anything next season and Simons is a better asset on his deal than Jrue is currently.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

I don’t really care about Simons fwiw. Bane is a better player albeit Orlando gave up more and better assets…

It’s just annoying that Boston got bailed out AND won this trade easily. This would never happen for Orlando. Instead of making difficult decisions they just found some bad FO to offload their problems.

This would be the equivalent of trading Jonathan Isaac on LAST years deal to Houston for Tari Eason and two second round picks. So you got younger, better, cheaper, and more assets out of the deal? The kicker is that Portland isn’t winning anything next season and Simons is a better asset on his deal than Jrue is currently.

FLEECED


To Boston
Anfernee Simons: $25.9M, $27.7M (UFA, 2026)

* The Celtics get off the combined $72M owed to Holiday in 2026-27 and 2027-28

* Projected $40M in tax savings in 2025-26

* $18M over the 2nd apron

* Simons is extension eligible

To Portland
Jrue Holiday: $30M, $32.4M, $34.8M, $37.2M (Player, 2027)

[drsd]

What a horrible trade for Boston.

Fixed.

Simons is not better than Holiday. I realise the Celts HAD to trade Holiday. But what role will Simons play? Off-ball PG? Bench player?

[eyriq]

Jrue clearly holds more market value than Simons. This trade looks like a win-now move for Portland and a salary dump for Boston. No need to overanalyze it beyond that.

The more interesting questions are whether either team should be operating this way. For Boston, the salary dump makes sense as they're managing long-term flexibility. For Portland, pushing in chips without a franchise cornerstone feels premature. Prioritizing development over marginal wins would be the more sustainable path.

[Idiosyncratic]

Jrue clearly holds more market value than Simons. This trade looks like a win-now move for Portland and a salary dump for Boston. No need to overanalyze it beyond that.

The more interesting questions are whether either team should be operating this way. For Boston, the salary dump makes sense as they're managing long-term flexibility. For Portland, pushing in chips without a franchise cornerstone feels premature. Prioritizing development over marginal wins would be the more sustainable path.

The good thing for Portland is they didn't give up much in terms of real assets. But taking on that contract and hoping he doesn't decline doesn't feel great to me. I get the logic, but just doesn't seem like the right move. I guess they felt they were stuck as a treadmill team with their current roster and wanted to get someone good without giving up a lot. I guess the bigger problem is that Portland didn't hit on any likely stars with their recent high picks or get any extreme lottery luck so they are kind of capped around what they have anyway and just have to hope they improve or reset again.

[three3d]

I don’t get it, don’t the Boston Celtics know Simons is horrible on defense lol?