Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26

[Hal14]

Hoopshype:

Charles Bassey, who made a strong impression with Boston during three Summer League games, is attracting attention from Virtus Bologna, according to Italian media outlet Pianeta Basket. Bassey could receive a training camp invitation, but that’s far from certain as the Celtics sort through their center options.


Also, according to Awful Announcing, Brian Scalabrine will be calling some national games for NBC:

Current Boston Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine will call games for NBC. The colorful personality has added his own unique flavor to Celtics broadcast filling the impossibly large shoes of Tommy Heinsohn on NBC Sports Boston.

I'm not surprised..I posted this a few days ago:

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he follows the path that many former Celtics backup bigs and former Celtics summer league bigs (Jerebko, Poirier, Bruno Fernando, Balcerowski, Trevion Williams, Kabengele, Ojeleye, etc.) have made and go play overseas somewhere..rather than bouncing around from team to team, and fighting just to get a roster spot as a 14th/15th man and ride the bench most of the time.

Heard Theis might be headed overseas now as well.

[165bows]

Well ddb usually has inside info, so a chance something happens right guys?

There's always a chance.

Haven’t seen any inside info around here since reload dropped the KP bomb last spring.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

[darrendaye]

Or maybe we use the Porzingis TPE which is $22.5 mil. We could us some (or all) of that TPE next summer..this might actually be my favorite option. Keep everyone who's on the team now. Resign Simons on team friendly deal, resign Niang to minimum deal. Move someone like JD, Tillman or Walsh before the deadline to dip under the 2nd apron this year. Then next summer use the Porzingis TPE to go and get a starting C.

Then in 26-27 you have:

C acquisition w/ Porzingis TPE
F Tatum
F Brown
G Simons
G White

Bench: Pritchard, Hauser, Queta, Niang + whoever ends up being the best out of Minott/Scheierman/Walsh/Hugo, Garza

That's a serious title contender. And hopefully by that time OKC has lost some of their good role players since they'll be paying such a crazy amount of $ for SGA/Chet/Jdub

Thought they had to get under the 1st apron to open up the TPE then if using it put them back over they'd be hard-capped?

Yes they do, but they should be well under the first Apron for 26/27.
Assuming a late teens FRP they will have 12 players signed and be about 25 million under the 1st Apron.
Probably not room for Simons and the whole TPE though.
If Walsh, Minot, or Sheierman step up, you could trade Hauser and then have 35 million to spend on Simons and using the TPE.

Thank you for replying. OP has them re-signing Simons AND Niang. Their cap holds would keep them over the 1st apron (I believe). So this specific scenario doesn't work.

[bucknersrevenge]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

Phoenix makes the most sense for him. If he's smart, he'll choose them. Plenty of opportunity for big minutes playing next to 2 big scorers who don't mind taking every shot. Low visibility in the southwest, far away from the bright lights and minimal expectations on that team going into this season. Boston is a meat-grinder by comparison for a billion reasons.

[Hal14]

Thought they had to get under the 1st apron to open up the TPE then if using it put them back over they'd be hard-capped?

Yes they do, but they should be well under the first Apron for 26/27.
Assuming a late teens FRP they will have 12 players signed and be about 25 million under the 1st Apron.
Probably not room for Simons and the whole TPE though.
If Walsh, Minot, or Sheierman step up, you could trade Hauser and then have 35 million to spend on Simons and using the TPE.

Thank you for replying. OP has them re-signing Simons AND Niang. Their cap holds would keep them over the 1st apron (I believe). So this specific scenario doesn't work.

Depends on how cheap the contracts are that we sign Simons/Niang too, no?

[2Mas]

Simmons is loser. Would rather give developmental minutes to our young guys then waste mins & money on that bum.

[Bill Lumbergh]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

Boom, baby. It's Simmons time. Brad finally gets his man.

[brackdan70]

Yes they do, but they should be well under the first Apron for 26/27.
Assuming a late teens FRP they will have 12 players signed and be about 25 million under the 1st Apron.
Probably not room for Simons and the whole TPE though.
If Walsh, Minot, or Sheierman step up, you could trade Hauser and then have 35 million to spend on Simons and using the TPE.

Thank you for replying. OP has them re-signing Simons AND Niang. Their cap holds would keep them over the 1st apron (I believe). So this specific scenario doesn't work.

Depends on how cheap the contracts are that we sign Simons/Niang too, no?

I mean yeah of course….could we sign both for under 12 million?, trade Hauser for no Salary and then use the full TPE….sure, anything is possible I guess.

[darrendaye]

Yes they do, but they should be well under the first Apron for 26/27.
Assuming a late teens FRP they will have 12 players signed and be about 25 million under the 1st Apron.
Probably not room for Simons and the whole TPE though.
If Walsh, Minot, or Sheierman step up, you could trade Hauser and then have 35 million to spend on Simons and using the TPE.

Thank you for replying. OP has them re-signing Simons AND Niang. Their cap holds would keep them over the 1st apron (I believe). So this specific scenario doesn't work.

Depends on how cheap the contracts are that we sign Simons/Niang too, no?

Sure, but what does that look like? I like that we're trying to figure out how all this could work. IMO more risk there as resigning both (or Simons alone) is the classic 2 in the bush part of that old saying.

[darrendaye]

Simmons is loser. Would rather give developmental minutes to our young guys then waste mins & money on that bum.

Yeah, having him as an option is one thing, assuring him a rotation spot would be another. At least with the rest of the roster as currently constructed.

[Hal14]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

Boom, baby. It's Simmons time. Brad finally gets his man.

Please no

[Gant]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

“I’m told he’s probably going to make a choice in the next week,” Windhorst said on threads. “Kings, Knicks, Suns and yes, Celtics have all been connected to him.”

If his choices are the Knicks, Suns, Kings and Celtics. all except the Knicks could offer playing time, but the Celtics could really offer playing time. It seems like a chemistry risk for Boston, but it'd be something to contemplate what diabolical scheme Joe Mazzulla might come up with to get this guy to shoot the ball.

[Hal14]

Thank you for replying. OP has them re-signing Simons AND Niang. Their cap holds would keep them over the 1st apron (I believe). So this specific scenario doesn't work.

Depends on how cheap the contracts are that we sign Simons/Niang too, no?

I mean yeah of course….could we sign both for under 12 million?, trade Hauser for no Salary and then use the full TPE….sure, anything is possible I guess.

I'm not saying we would use the full TPE.

The TPE is $22.5 mil.

Ideally we just use part of it to get a big making less than $15mil a year..

[brackdan70]

Simmons is loser. Would rather give developmental minutes to our young guys then waste mins & money on that bum.

100% agree with giving minutes to the young guys. Simons does nothing for us.
If it’s a minimum for 2 years and we move Niang…then fine I guess, but I want to see what Minott can do, and Walsh with some PT and of course Hugo.

[GreenBlooded]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

“I’m told he’s probably going to make a choice in the next week,” Windhorst said on threads. “Kings, Knicks, Suns and yes, Celtics have all been connected to him.”

If his choices are the Knicks, Suns, Kings and Celtics. all except the Knicks could offer playing time, but the Celtics could really offer playing time. It seems like a chemistry risk for Boston, but it'd be something to contemplate what diabolical scheme Joe Mazzulla might come up with to get this guy to shoot the ball.

Simmons is an anti-Celtic

[Bill Lumbergh]

If he's a Hulkamaniac like Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, he will rightfully choose the Celts ..

Read on Twitter

Boom, baby. It's Simmons time. Brad finally gets his man.

Please no

LOL. Yeah, I don't really give a care either. Play the youngsters this year. Ample rest for Brown and White. Get a good pick.

[Celts17Pride]

I honestly believe Simmons would cause more harm than good but I trust in Brad Stevens. Simmons isn't going to pick NY or Boston. He will pick a place like Sacramento where he can collect his paycheck and disappear.

[reload141]

I honestly believe Simmons would cause more harm than good but I trust in Brad Stevens. Simmons isn't going to pick NY or Boston. He will pick a place like Sacramento where he can collect his paycheck and disappear.

This

[djFan71]

Simmons is loser. Would rather give developmental minutes to our young guys then waste mins & money on that bum.

100% agree with giving minutes to the young guys. Simons does nothing for us.
If it’s a minimum for 2 years and we move Niang…then fine I guess, but I want to see what Minott can do, and Walsh with some PT and of course Hugo.

Freudian slip?