NBA Insider Unsure About Anfernee Simons’ Playoff Fit With Celtics
Simons' defensive limitations could cost him
Anfernee Simons’ future with the Boston Celtics has been a subplot to the opening months of the 2025-26 NBA season. The score-first guard was acquired in the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers during the summer. Simons is in the final year of his four-year $100 million deal.
If the Celtics choose to make a move close to the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the team views Simons as a logical trade chip. After all, it is better to flip him in return for long-term assets, rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer.
However, if Simons does stay in Boston beyond the trade deadline, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, speaking on a recent episode of ESPN’s ‘The Hoop Collective’ podcast, is not convinced he will have a significant role once the postseason begins.
“Frankly, I don’t think Anfernee Simons is going to have a very big role in the playoffs either way,” Bontemps said. “They’re going to be playing Derrick White and Payton Pritchard a ton of minutes. He’s (Simons) not at all a good defensive player. I think he’ll be a liability in large part in the playoffs anyway.”
Simons has become an important part of Boston’s bench rotation. In 29 games this season, all from the bench, he’s averaging 13 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 43.1% from the field and 36.9% from deep. However, according to DunksandThrees, he’s still struggling on the defensive end, ranking in the bottom 10th percentile of guards for Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus.
Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front office will likely explore potential trades as the deadline approaches. It’s fair to assume that Simons will feature in those discussions, if for no other reason than to perform some due diligence on his potential market.
The problem Boston will face is that trading Simons will leave it short on depth at the guard position. As such, if Simons is moved, multiple additional moves could follow to ensure there’s enough balance within the roster ahead of the postseason.
