Cap Expert Shares Logical Trade Idea For Celtics’ Anfernee Simons

The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, and the Boston Celtics are expected to make a move. Since arriving via trade during the summer, Anfernee Simons immediately emerged as the Celtics’ most logical trade chip.

Simons is in the final year of his four-year $100 million contract. He’s earning $27.6 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. As such, even with his production off the bench, it makes sense for the Celtics to explore their options before the trade deadline passes on Feb. 5.

During a recent Q&A article on CelticsBlog, cap expert Keith Smith of Spotrac was asked about a logical trade that could make sense for Boston.

“One of the ideas that has floated in my head all year is to trade Anfernee Simons to the Brooklyn Nets for Terance Mann,” Smith said. “The Nets would use some of their $15 million in remaining cap space to bring in Simons, without taking on any long-term salary. Boston would get a ballhandler in Mann to replace Simons, albeit not nearly as good a shooter/scorer. And, crucially, Boston would bring $15.5 million in tradable salary onto the books for next season.”

Mann, 29, has played in 30 games for the Brooklyn Nets this season. He’s averaging 8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 44.6% from the field and 32.1% from deep. Simons is the better player, yet the Nets may favor the added years on his contract, rather than risking a deal that could result in Simons walking away from the franchise in the summer.

“Think of that is a pre-agency MLE addition, with the added benefit of being able to flip Mann in a future trade down the line,” Smith continued. “Do I think that will happen? Probably not. But that’s the kind of trade to be on the lookout for.”

If the Celtics cannot find a deal that provides some additional roster flexibility or improves the roster for both now and the future, they will likely move forward with Simons coming off the bench. After all, he’s impressing in that role, and there’s always the option to negotiate a longer stay once the season draws to a close.