Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26

[31to6]

So. let me get this Straight.
Did we just Trade for a Two-Way player, in Luis, Jr.?

This is a money saving trade that we can live with. Niang is solid, but not spectacular. Boucher gives a solid NBA player at a position of real need.

I think in the end we traded Kristaps Tingus Pingus and two seconds for the chance to sign Chris Boucher to a one year vet min deal. And I'm not even mad about it. Maybe 34% the player, but available twice as much, at 1/10th the salary -- not sure about the math but isn't that close to a win?

[Fierce1]

This will depend on how JB plays as the #1 option.

If JB plays well, 45-50 wins is possible.

Before the signing of Boucher, I had the Cs as a #6 seed.

Now I think a 4 seed is truly possible.

The Cs needed frontcourt help, Brad got one.

It's the little things.

[redslastlaugh]

The suckitude of this off-season is breathtaking to behold.

But good news, the Patriots start up Friday and the Red Sox may win the World Series and are absolutely stacked with young talent.

So if Corporal Chisholm and the other Venture Capitalists wannabees want to gut this team, there are sports alternatives....

It is for sure he year. Foolish to go over second apron. Duck all taxes if you can. Reset the penalties.

Makes sense. Also, I doubt we will ever see Brad Stevens book 6 or 7 or 8 simultaneous multi-year extensions ever again, going so deeply into apron land. As Brad said at the presser, "I thought I understood the penalties but I didn't really understand them fullly until the last month."

I think this has been a huge learning experience for Brad, and I truly believe it will affect how he manages the cap going forward.

[31to6]

This will depend on how JB plays as the #1 option.

If JB plays well, 45-50 wins is possible.

Before the signing of Boucher, I had the Cs as a #6 seed.

Now I think a 4 seed is truly possible.

The Cs needed frontcourt help, Brad got one.

It's the little things.

I like Boucher, but I feel like you are over rating him. Do you see him as a quality starter at the 4 or 5? Would you be willing to predict how many GP, mpg, rpg, bpg, and ppg we'll see in green from 32 year old Chris Boucher?

[Parliament10]

I think that we just basically paid to get off of the Niang Contract.
The cost = 2 x 2nd Round Picks.

[bucknersrevenge]

I can probably go lower. Gimme a few days.

I think MIL owes a pick here, but they just don't have any. I like a secondary swap on the 28 first round pick, tbh. We should be good again, so upgrading from 28-30 to something slightly higher isn't nothing.

I would agree with you if Ainge is still calling the shots for the Cs.

But Brad apparently does not care about picks.

Guess we'll just have to wait for Sep. 7.

I still think Simons will end up playing for the Celtics.

Raise Simons' trade value then trade him for something significant.

I think the last part is what I don't get. Even if he plays a lot better in BOS than he has the rest of his career and scores more efficiently, shows progress on D, you've used up even more of his contract as an expiring. Any value he's added is offset by that. At the deadline, someone would need to:

a) be so much more enamored with Simons than they are now
b) feel like that's worth giving up something significant rather than wait for FA in the summer - where more teams will have space than this summer.
c) negotiate an extension at the time of the trade, or feel very confident they could resign him.

It's possible but pretty unlikely, imo.

So much this. I don't understand how so many people excuse or flat out ignore this logic just because it doesn't fit their rationale. Just saying "oh they'll move him later" like this is NBA2K doesn't make it so. There are just as many reasons for Brad to not only keep Simons but also to extend him later as there are to trade him.

[Gant]

The Celtics have the three smaller positions pretty well covered. They truly needed help at the 4, in a way that the shorter, slower Niang could not provide.

Boucher
height without shoes: 6' 9.5"
wingspan: 7' 4"
standing reach: 9' 2.5"
standing vertical: 36.5"

Niang
height without shoes: 6' 6.75"
wingspan: 6' 10"
standing reach: 8' 7"
standing vertical: 25"

[djFan71]

I would agree with you if Ainge is still calling the shots for the Cs.

But Brad apparently does not care about picks.

Guess we'll just have to wait for Sep. 7.

I still think Simons will end up playing for the Celtics.

Raise Simons' trade value then trade him for something significant.

I think the last part is what I don't get. Even if he plays a lot better in BOS than he has the rest of his career and scores more efficiently, shows progress on D, you've used up even more of his contract as an expiring. Any value he's added is offset by that. At the deadline, someone would need to:

a) be so much more enamored with Simons than they are now
b) feel like that's worth giving up something significant rather than wait for FA in the summer - where more teams will have space than this summer.
c) negotiate an extension at the time of the trade, or feel very confident they could resign him.

It's possible but pretty unlikely, imo.

It doesn't have to be February.

Cs can move him in December or January.

Not October or November????

The 2 reasons to trade him are 1) get a better long term player back using the salary and other assets, 2) duck the tax.

For #2, it's just more feasible to get off a large portion of the salary before rosters are set for the year. More teams have room, teams can go over the roster limits as part of the trades and get down to 15 later, etc. It's just flat out easier to do in the summer.

For #1, you have any time until the deadline.

[Fierce1]

This will depend on how JB plays as the #1 option.

If JB plays well, 45-50 wins is possible.

Before the signing of Boucher, I had the Cs as a #6 seed.

Now I think a 4 seed is truly possible.

The Cs needed frontcourt help, Brad got one.

It's the little things.

I like Boucher, but I feel like you are over rating him. Do you see him as a quality starter at the 4 or 5? Would you be willing to predict how many GP, mpg, rpg, bpg, and ppg we'll see in green from 32 year old Chris Boucher?

I think Boucher can be a 12 ppg, 7 rpg, and 1 bpg player in 28 minutes of game action for the Cs.

Boucher is playing for his next contract, so I won't be surprised if he really plays well for the Cs.

[Fierce1]

I would agree with you if Ainge is still calling the shots for the Cs.

But Brad apparently does not care about picks.

Guess we'll just have to wait for Sep. 7.

I still think Simons will end up playing for the Celtics.

Raise Simons' trade value then trade him for something significant.

I think the last part is what I don't get. Even if he plays a lot better in BOS than he has the rest of his career and scores more efficiently, shows progress on D, you've used up even more of his contract as an expiring. Any value he's added is offset by that. At the deadline, someone would need to:

a) be so much more enamored with Simons than they are now
b) feel like that's worth giving up something significant rather than wait for FA in the summer - where more teams will have space than this summer.
c) negotiate an extension at the time of the trade, or feel very confident they could resign him.

It's possible but pretty unlikely, imo.

So much this. I don't understand how so many people excuse or flat out ignore this logic just because it doesn't fit their rationale. Just saying "oh they'll move him later" like this is NBA2K doesn't make it so. There are just as many reasons for Brad to not only keep Simons but also to extend him later as there are to trade him.

I never said it's a guarantee Simons will be traded.

What I said was the right time to trade him is during the season, not before the season.

I believe Simons is the dynamic scoring guard the Cs need.

But because of financial reasons, it's also possible the Cs have to trade him.

[Fierce1]

I think the last part is what I don't get. Even if he plays a lot better in BOS than he has the rest of his career and scores more efficiently, shows progress on D, you've used up even more of his contract as an expiring. Any value he's added is offset by that. At the deadline, someone would need to:

a) be so much more enamored with Simons than they are now
b) feel like that's worth giving up something significant rather than wait for FA in the summer - where more teams will have space than this summer.
c) negotiate an extension at the time of the trade, or feel very confident they could resign him.

It's possible but pretty unlikely, imo.

It doesn't have to be February.

Cs can move him in December or January.

Not October or November????

The 2 reasons to trade him are 1) get a better long term player back using the salary and other assets, 2) duck the tax.

For #2, it's just more feasible to get off a large portion of the salary before rosters are set for the year. More teams have room, teams can go over the roster limits as part of the trades and get down to 15 later, etc. It's just flat out easier to do in the summer.

For #1, you have any time until the deadline.

Let him play all the way to December.

That way he'll be given a chance to raise his trade value.

If Simons ends up playing so well and the Cs have a very good record, keep Simons.

[bucknersrevenge]

Because he's an explosive athlete and can score in all 3 levels.

He can't defend a traffic cone.

Good grief.

The "pig-piling" on Simons has all gotten to be a lot lately. No argument that he hasn't defended well in Portland. But there's rationale to believe that he could be better than he's shown up to this point in his career:

-Stotts didn't exactly hold his team accountable on defense
-The last 2 years with Ayton as the backstop have been laughable in terms of effort and accountability across the team
-Simons has been asked to do a lot on offense
-Simons is 6'3 with a 6'9 wingspan. He absolutely has the physical traits that Brad likes to be a good defender
-Mazzulla holds his players accountable on D
-The veterans on this team hold each other accountable on D
-Simons has been eager to play in a different market with more exposure and he's playing with something to prove
-Simons will not be asked to do everything on offense for this team

With just a bit more effort consistently, Simons would be leaps and bounds over what he's been. You can actually see the blueprint of what Brad is building staring us in the face here.

PG: White
SG: Simons
SF: JB
PF Boucher
C: Neemy

Add in Minott, and there's a lot more of the kinds of traits Brad likes: size, length, athleticism. We shouldn't be expecting this team to be slave to the offensive philosophy that has existed here the last 2 years because the personnel that made that work is no longer here. They're younger, faster, and more athletic. We should expect far less wind resistance from this year's squad regardless of record. And Simons should be a big part of that. Could he still be moved? Sure, anything's possible but Brad is a guy who always likes to keep his options open and pivot when necessary.

[Fierce1]

Joe has been trying to implement a faster pace.

I believe this Cs team will surprise many if the chemistry is good.

[bucknersrevenge]

I think the last part is what I don't get. Even if he plays a lot better in BOS than he has the rest of his career and scores more efficiently, shows progress on D, you've used up even more of his contract as an expiring. Any value he's added is offset by that. At the deadline, someone would need to:

a) be so much more enamored with Simons than they are now
b) feel like that's worth giving up something significant rather than wait for FA in the summer - where more teams will have space than this summer.
c) negotiate an extension at the time of the trade, or feel very confident they could resign him.

It's possible but pretty unlikely, imo.

So much this. I don't understand how so many people excuse or flat out ignore this logic just because it doesn't fit their rationale. Just saying "oh they'll move him later" like this is NBA2K doesn't make it so. There are just as many reasons for Brad to not only keep Simons but also to extend him later as there are to trade him.

I never said it's a guarantee Simons will be traded.

What I said was the right time to trade him is during the season, not before the season.

I believe Simons is the dynamic scoring guard the Cs need.

But because of financial reasons, it's also possible the Cs have to trade him.

I don't mean to throw it all at your doorstep Fierce. I just keep seeing this narrative and I can't seem to make it make sense in my head. It seems to me that the later you try to move him, the less likely it becomes for the reasons djFan laid out. I have echoed those same thoughts myself. Other teams have to want to trade with us in order to make it work, and I'm trying to put myself into the mind of a GM of another team and consider what the circumstances would have to be to want to acquire Simons at the deadline over other less expensive, less risky options.

[bucknersrevenge]

Joe has been trying to implement a faster pace.

I believe this Cs team will surprise many if the chemistry is good.

We were 29th in pace last year. He ain't been trying too hard. But he better this year. This team is being crafted in Jaylen Brown's image, make no mistake. So it better not be about shooting 50 3's in a game and about getting downhill and getting to the rim early and often.

[Fierce1]

So much this. I don't understand how so many people excuse or flat out ignore this logic just because it doesn't fit their rationale. Just saying "oh they'll move him later" like this is NBA2K doesn't make it so. There are just as many reasons for Brad to not only keep Simons but also to extend him later as there are to trade him.

I never said it's a guarantee Simons will be traded.

What I said was the right time to trade him is during the season, not before the season.

I believe Simons is the dynamic scoring guard the Cs need.

But because of financial reasons, it's also possible the Cs have to trade him.

I don't mean to throw it all at your doorstep Fierce. I just keep seeing this narrative and I can't seem to make it make sense in my head. It seems to me that the later you try to move him, the lesser likely it becomes for the reasons djFan laid out. I have echoed those same thoughts myself. Other teams have to want to trade with us in order to make it work and I'm trying to put myself into the mind of a GM of another team and consider what the circumstances would have to be to want to acquire Simons at the deadline over other less expensive, less risky options.

Maybe that's because I want to keep Simons for the whole season.

I truly believe he gives the Cs something that's been missing since Kyrie left.

If Simons ends up playing for the Cs on opening night, the chances of him getting traded gets slimmer.

And if he plays really well, there will be no Simons trade.

Only way Simons gets traded if the Cs suck.

That is of course if Simons makes it to opening night.

[Fierce1]

Joe has been trying to implement a faster pace.

I believe this Cs team will surprise many if the chemistry is good.

We were 29th in pace last year. He ain't been trying too hard. But he better this year. This team is being crafted in Jaylen Brown's image, make no mistake. So it better not be about shooting 50 3's in a game and about getting downhill and getting to the rim early and often.

I saw Joe egging on DWhite to push the ball in the Knicks series.

The Cs just didn't have players who love to run.

With the moves Brad made this summer, I think we'll see more running and jumping from the Cs.

[Fierce1]

I said it last season, the Cs need cutters and players driving to the basket.

We have that now, but we're missing JT.

This can go either way.

1. Cs don't gel and end up sucking.
Might as well tank after All-Star break.

2. Cs overachieve and Tatum returns for the playoff push.
Brad also makes a move or moves to further bolster the roster.

[celtxman]

The suckitude of this off-season is breathtaking to behold.

But good news, the Patriots start up Friday and the Red Sox may win the World Series and are absolutely stacked with young talent.

So if Corporal Chisholm and the other Venture Capitalists wannabees want to gut this team, there are sports alternatives....

This has indeed been an awful off season. The Holiday trade was probably the right thing to do - a casualty of the Tatum injury, the multiple years on his contract, his age, and susceptibility to injury. Beyond that, the jury is out. Chisholm is still unknown. Is he saying to Brad we HAVE to cut payroll or what will it take to recreate a championship level team the minute Tatum is back?

[Celts17Pride]

This will depend on how JB plays as the #1 option.

If JB plays well, 45-50 wins is possible.

Jaylen Brown will be the #1 option with no Tatum, Holiday, Horford, Porzingis, Kornet, Niang. Who do you think Jaylen Brown is? Larry Bird!