Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26

[djFan71]

Simons is only 15 months older than Scheierman and a much, much better player.

Jordan Walsh has yet to prove he belongs in the league.

Hugo could barely crack the rotation in Europe and is now playing in a better league. He is likely multiple years away from contributing to a deep playoff run.

Celtics are much better off investing in Simons. Much higher chance he can contribute to a playoff run than those other 3 guys.

I get what you’re saying about not wanting to take the ball out of Tatum’s hands but I also believe having only two guys (Brown and Tatum) who could consistently bend a defense was a problem. And as much as I love JB he can be turnover prone and or have tunnel vision while driving. Whether it’s Simons or someone else Celtics need another guy who can drive the ball.

It's the combo of skillset and salary allocation. Those other guys are what we have to work with that we can retain cheaply. We need at least a few of the young/new guys to hit in order to fill in around our top 3 salaries.

I agree we could use more diversity in scoring creation - every team could. I'm just not sure we can allocate as much of our salary on a - to date - one-sided player to score behind JB and JT. It hinges on both a) Simons getting better on D, and all the smaller non-bucket skills on offense, and b) us being able to resign him significantly cheaper than his current deal. It seems to me those are pulling in opposite directions.

I asked google what percentage of champions paid luxury tax and it said 14 of the last 18 champions paid the tax. Grok (X ai machine) said it was 14 of the last 19 champs. Either way the picture is clear. Spending into the luxury tax is something most champions do. I expect the Celtics to pay luxury tax and pay players outside of Brown Tatum and White significant salaries.

I do agree that getting productive minutes out of cheap contracts is extremely valuable and despite the last post I haven’t given up on any of those 3 guys, just don’t think we should trade Simons to facilitate their development. They haven’t shown enough to warrant further investment.

If you want to argue we can’t afford to pay Simons and a starting caliber big multiple years in a row… fine. I don’t expect the Celtics to be 30 million of the second apron every year. But the current level of spending seems reasonable. If Tatum never tore his Achilles where would this team be? If Queta were Theis level and Simons meshed with the team I think they would be contending for the title this year.

I definitely expect us to be back over the tax in 26-27 and going forward. And, not affording Simons and a big 26-27 and forward is exactly what I'm talking about. To me it feels like a little bit of a waste to invest time in him for a year if you're not gonna keep him.

[Hal14]

Hal, I know it's the offseason and debating Ant Simons game & fit is a fine topic to discuss,but it really seems to me like his whole future just comes down to finances and not his game. If we had signed Jrue to a more market priced contract extension, we wouldn't even have Simons. And if Brad wants to reset the tax, he'll trade Simons. I don't think his game & fit is the main force driving what will happen here with Ant

Perhaps.

But rumor has it, there was a lot of different teams interested in Jrue Holiday.

Some of the teams with reported interest were Dallas, Lakers, Clippers, Kings. Suns (who desperately need a PG) could have made a move. Utah and Philly were the 2 teams who were finalists in the Jrue sweepstakes 2 yrs ago when we landed him via trade. Bucks could have tried to bring him back if they were able to trade Dame sooner.

There could have been a lot of different trade packages on the table and a lot of different teams we could have traded Jrue to.

But Brad chose Portland and he chose the package that got us Simons...even after Portland pulled those 2 2nd round picks out of the deal, Brad still pulled the trigger on that deal. That to me, says he sees something in Simons.

Obviously rumor has it we're open to moving Simons. But it takes 2 teams to make a trade. You can't force another team to trade with you. So Brad knew that whichever trade package he decided on for Jrue, there was a chance that that player(s) would be in Boston until the end of their contract..

Simons is still on the team - he hasn't been traded yet.

And this is still the only thing Brad or anyone else with the Celtics org has said publicly about Simons:

Read on Twitter

[Larry_Russell]

Hal, I know it's the offseason and debating Ant Simons game & fit is a fine topic to discuss,but it really seems to me like his whole future just comes down to finances and not his game. If we had signed Jrue to a more market priced contract extension, we wouldn't even have Simons. And if Brad wants to reset the tax, he'll trade Simons. I don't think his game & fit is the main force driving what will happen here with Ant

Perhaps.

But rumor has it, there was a lot of different teams interested in Jrue Holiday.

Some of the teams with reported interest were Dallas, Lakers, Clippers, Kings. Suns (who desperately need a PG) could have made a move. Utah and Philly were the 2 teams who were finalists in the Jrue sweepstakes 2 yrs ago when we landed him via trade. Bucks could have tried to bring him back if they were able to trade Dame sooner.

There could have been a lot of different trade packages on the table and a lot of different teams we could have traded Jrue to.

But Brad chose Portland and he chose the package that got us Simons...even after Portland pulled those 2 2nd round picks out of the deal, Brad still pulled the trigger on that deal. That to me, says he sees something in Simons.

Obviously rumor has it we're open to moving Simons. But it takes 2 teams to make a trade. You can't force another team to trade with you. So Brad knew that whichever trade package he decided on for Jrue, there was a chance that that player(s) would be in Boston until the end of their contract..

Simons is still on the team - he hasn't been traded yet.

And this is still the only thing Brad or anyone else with the Celtics org has said publicly about Simons:

Read on Twitter

...cause brad is going to come out and say "we really don't want him on the team, he has a massive amount of warts. Cant play defense and is a bit of a ball hog who takes terrible shots and we have no desire to keep him around. Someone hopefully will trade us something, anything for him that saves us the amount of money we need to get below the tax lines. "

[redslastlaugh]

Hal, I know it's the offseason and debating Ant Simons game & fit is a fine topic to discuss,but it really seems to me like his whole future just comes down to finances and not his game.

Perhaps.

But rumor has it, there was a lot of different teams interested in Jrue Holiday.

Some of the teams with reported interest were Dallas, Lakers, Clippers, Kings. Suns (who desperately need a PG) could have made a move. Utah and Philly were the 2 teams who were finalists in the Jrue sweepstakes 2 yrs ago when we landed him via trade. Bucks could have tried to bring him back if they were able to trade Dame sooner.

There could have been a lot of different trade packages on the table and a lot of different teams we could have traded Jrue to.

But Brad chose Portland and he chose the package that got us Simons...even after Portland pulled those 2 2nd round picks out of the deal, Brad still pulled the trigger on that deal. That to me, says he sees something in Simons.

But the teams that you mentioned, none of them have a big expiring contract to offer like PDX did with Simons. The Mavs didn't and the Kings didn't and those were the two teams most discussed. The Suns and us were both 2nd apron teams, we can't trade directly with each other because one team will be forced to take back more than they send out. Clippers seem to want capspace in 2027 and aren't taking any contracts as long as Jrue, they traded Powell but for another expiring. Utah is literally buying out its veterans and they even paid a 2nd to Charlotte to take Sexton for Nurkic.

Probably Simons was the only expiring contract that Brad was offered and that's why Brad took the Portland deal. And once PDX realized no one else was offering an expiring contract, they retracted the 2nd round picks bc they knew Brad was still gonna take the deal

Thats my take

[Hal14]

Hal, I know it's the offseason and debating Ant Simons game & fit is a fine topic to discuss,but it really seems to me like his whole future just comes down to finances and not his game. If we had signed Jrue to a more market priced contract extension, we wouldn't even have Simons. And if Brad wants to reset the tax, he'll trade Simons. I don't think his game & fit is the main force driving what will happen here with Ant

Perhaps.

But rumor has it, there was a lot of different teams interested in Jrue Holiday.

Some of the teams with reported interest were Dallas, Lakers, Clippers, Kings. Suns (who desperately need a PG) could have made a move. Utah and Philly were the 2 teams who were finalists in the Jrue sweepstakes 2 yrs ago when we landed him via trade. Bucks could have tried to bring him back if they were able to trade Dame sooner.

There could have been a lot of different trade packages on the table and a lot of different teams we could have traded Jrue to.

But Brad chose Portland and he chose the package that got us Simons...even after Portland pulled those 2 2nd round picks out of the deal, Brad still pulled the trigger on that deal. That to me, says he sees something in Simons.

Obviously rumor has it we're open to moving Simons. But it takes 2 teams to make a trade. You can't force another team to trade with you. So Brad knew that whichever trade package he decided on for Jrue, there was a chance that that player(s) would be in Boston until the end of their contract..

Simons is still on the team - he hasn't been traded yet.

And this is still the only thing Brad or anyone else with the Celtics org has said publicly about Simons:

Read on Twitter

...cause brad is going to come out and say "we really don't want him on the team, he has a massive amount of warts. Cant play defense and is a bit of a ball hog who takes terrible shots and we have no desire to keep him around. Someone hopefully will trade us something, anything for him that saves us the amount of money we need to get below the tax lines. "

Obviously he wouldn't say that.

But unless he actually does say that, we can't just blindly assume that is what Brad thinks of Simons.

That's your (very biased) opinion of Simons. We don't know that's what Brad thinks of him. All we know for sure is that statement he made to the media about Simons. If you think that statement is meaningless - whatever, that's fine. That's your opinion. But the fact is, that's the only thing Brad or anyone from the Celtics has said about him publicly.

Sure, there's rumors that they're open to trading Simons. But there's also been rumors by reporters who have said that Boston likes Simons as a player and would like to see how he fits on this team.

And again, there was probably lots of different offers on the table for Jrue - there was probably at least 5 or 6 teams (if not more) who were interested in trading for Jrue - but Brad chose the Simons trade package over them which may indicate they like Simons as a player. Especially since Brad still pulled the trigger even after Portland pulled those 2 2nd round picks out of their offer.

[Curmudgeon]

Of course Stevens is going to say he likes Simons. A salesman doesn't say he dislikes the product he's trying to sell. So let's forget about that little clip that we've all watched ad nauseum.

Payton Pritchard is the same offensive player with better defense and rebounding. Derrick White is a better player in all facets. On offense, Simons duplicates what they already have. On defense he is a long step down. They would be a far better team if they could exchange Simons for help in the frontcourt and save some tax in the process. Then they could sign someone like Melton or Milton for the minimum to be the third guard.

[Celts17Pride]

Of course Stevens is going to say he likes Simons. A salesman doesn't say he dislikes the product he's trying to sell. So let's forget about that little clip that we've all watched ad nauseum.

These Brad Stevens clips are 100% meaningless. It's well known the Celtics want to move Simons. Brad Stevens is not going to come out and bash Simons when he is trying to move him. Stevens wants to boost his value. Common sense.

[Hal14]

Of course Stevens is going to say he likes Simons. A salesman doesn't say he dislikes the product he's trying to sell.

Ok..but we also shouldn't just assume a salesman hates the product either.

Payton Pritchard is the same offensive player.

No he's not. Pritchard has been in the league for 5 years now. He's been a bench player that whole time. There were parts of 2 different seasons where he wasn't even in the rotation. And as a rookie, he likely only got as many mins as he did because we were decimated by injuries in the backcourt. He's only been a double figure scorer in 1 of his 5 seasons. And in that 1 season he averaged 14 PPG.

Pritchard has mainly just been an off ball guy, hitting open catch and shoot 3's. Being an energy spark plug off the bench type of guy.

Simons on the other hand is a walking bucket. 17+ PPG in each of the past 4 yrs. 19+ PPG in each of the past 3 yrs. He's a better shot creator than Pritchard. He's taller and has a quicker shot release so he's better able to get his shot off over defenders..averages like 4 drives per game more than Pritchard does. And most of the time, Pritchard's drives are him driving in, getting nowhere and then having to back the ball back out to where he started from. Simons can actually get to his spots with the ball. He's actually a threat off the bounce. 12th in the league in gravity. Let's see Pritchard put up numbers like these:

Read on Twitter

Pritchard has also never had an assist % of 21 or higher. Simons has done that in 3 different seasons, including a season he was at 27.6 assist %, which is a higher assist % than anyone on the current Celtics roster has ever had at the NBA level. And Simons did that on a Portland team that was bad and had poor scorers, poor shooters so harder to get assists than it is on a team with actual scoring/shooting talent.

They would be a far better team if they could exchange Simons for help in the frontcourt and save some tax in the process

Don't you think that if a deal like that was possible, it would have happened by now? Or, Brad would have traded Jrue for "front court help" in the first place?

Sure, maybe something like that happens in a perfect world. But it's not a perfect world. You can't just snap your fingers and magically the deal you want falls in your lap. Opposing teams aren't trying to do us any favors - the other 29 teams aren't trying to help make the Celtics better.

[165bows]

I’m totally fine w Simons around for now but this is exactly what I’m pushing back on, this walking bucket talk.

Simons’ impact is vastly based on his scoring but news flash he’s not that great at it as he’s deeply negative in the efficiency category for his career.

Dudes throwing up a-102 TS added over his career and as Pritchard has improved Simons will be very very lucky to continue to hold him off as a better player.

So as a high-ish volume mediocre efficiency scorer in the NBA at this point you are pretty much judged by whatever else you can bring to the table and people more or less get what that means.

[Fierce1]

I’m totally fine w Simons around for now but this is exactly what I’m pushing back on, this walking bucket talk.

Simons’ impact is vastly based on his scoring but news flash he’s not that great at it as he’s deeply negative in the efficiency category for his career.

Dudes throwing up a-102 TS added over his career and as Pritchard has improved Simons will be very very lucky to continue to hold him off as a better player.

So as a high-ish volume mediocre efficiency scorer in the NBA at this point you are pretty much judged by whatever else you can bring to the table and people more or less get what that means.

You don't think a better supporting cast and a system that's suited for Simons' style of play will improve his efficiency?

[165bows]

I’m totally fine w Simons around for now but this is exactly what I’m pushing back on, this walking bucket talk.

Simons’ impact is vastly based on his scoring but news flash he’s not that great at it as he’s deeply negative in the efficiency category for his career.

Dudes throwing up a-102 TS added over his career and as Pritchard has improved Simons will be very very lucky to continue to hold him off as a better player.

So as a high-ish volume mediocre efficiency scorer in the NBA at this point you are pretty much judged by whatever else you can bring to the table and people more or less get what that means.

You don't think a better supporting cast and a system that's suited for Simons' style of play will improve his efficiency?

I’m hopeful that it will. I’ve posted plenty of times over the past two months I think based on his age, contract status, team situation etc etc he’s perfectly poised for his best stretch of ball.

[djFan71]

I’m totally fine w Simons around for now but this is exactly what I’m pushing back on, this walking bucket talk.

Simons’ impact is vastly based on his scoring but news flash he’s not that great at it as he’s deeply negative in the efficiency category for his career.

Dudes throwing up a-102 TS added over his career and as Pritchard has improved Simons will be very very lucky to continue to hold him off as a better player.

So as a high-ish volume mediocre efficiency scorer in the NBA at this point you are pretty much judged by whatever else you can bring to the table and people more or less get what that means.

You don't think a better supporting cast and a system that's suited for Simons' style of play will improve his efficiency?

I’m hopeful that it will. I’ve posted plenty of times over the past two months I think based on his age, contract status, team situation etc etc he’s perfectly poised for his best stretch of ball.

Yeah, even though I still think the best approach is to trade him, I agree he'll look quite good here this year.
I just don't see the long term viability, so would rather either use his salary for a big, or cut bait, duck the tax, develop other guys, etc.

[fallguy]

We are going to find it amusing we wasted so much time talking about Simons once we deal him.

[Celts17Pride]

We are going to find it amusing we wasted so much time talking about Simons once we deal him.

Got to waste time on something I guess.

[fallguy]

We are going to find it amusing we wasted so much time talking about Simons once we deal him.

Got to waste time on something I guess.

For sure. This is a fait accompli but there's not much else going on right now.

[djFan71]

Saw this on the trade thread. Want no part of Murray or involving Hauser. But it still works for NOP if you send Bey and Alvarado for Simons as part of the 3-team deal.

BOS part: Bey and Alvarado for Simons (and if I'm greedy, X).

Gets us almost too far below the tax, lol. Even if they don't take X, we'd have plenty of room to just waive someone (not Jordan... i know he's non-guaranteed, but la la la, can't hear you). Or do a 2 for 1 consolidation trade where we take more money back and still end up below the tax.

Alvarado would be a fun 3rd guard. Size a mild concern with Pritchard, but it's not a long term solution necessarily. Just a minutes eater for this year, or part of that 2 for 1 consolidation trade. Bey and Alavarado for Clarke saves MEM some money. Or something similar.

EDIT: No idea if NOP goes for the amended version, but they still get Simons, just not off of Murray. I'd toss in a few 2nds, but not anything more.

[djFan71]

^^^^ BTW, that trade has to wait til September since Bey was recently traded. So, good example of more options opening up even if it's not BOS aggregating.

[Hal14]

^^^^ BTW, that trade has to wait til September since Bey was recently traded. So, good example of more options opening up even if it's not BOS aggregating.

Yup..an example of how a Simons deal might not happen till sometime in December-Feb..because some guys (who could maybe be involved in the deal) aren't trade eligible till December.

[djFan71]

^^^^ BTW, that trade has to wait til September since Bey was recently traded. So, good example of more options opening up even if it's not BOS aggregating.

Yup..an example of who a Simons deal might not happen till sometime in December-Feb..because some guys (who could maybe be involved in the deal) aren't trade eligible till December.

Hey now, that doesn't fit my before the season agenda!

I do think that type of savings in a deal evaporates a little by December as NOP in this instance would be a little more set on their roster and likely have used some of the room that allows this in Sept.

[Fierce1]

Let's not forget that it's not in the best interest of the new owner for the team to suck right from the start.

If the team is bad in October and November then ticket sales will drop.

Trading Simons for a guy like Bey will result in the Celtics being mediocre at best.

And Alvarado?

I thought we didn't want small guards?

This is where I think Brad is not going to do and that's trade Simons for a big drop in talent.

I'm not against trading Simons because I understand the cap issues.

But please don't trade Simons just for financial reasons.

As for developing players, that's always secondary when Joe is coach because Joe always plays to win.

I'm also not against tanking if by the 50th game the Cs are just a play-in team.

The Cs are missing JT and his 27 ppg.
Simons can partially cover that void.

Try to compete for 50 games then pull the plug if it's not working.

Just don't intentionally cripple the roster in October.

With a healthy JB and DWhite, this is not the time for development.