The Boston Celtics, after their latest win over the Chicago Bulls, have leapt up to second place in the Eastern Conference. And yet, while they could be buyers at the upcoming trade deadline, they also could sell a couple of players in an effort to get under the luxury tax threshold.
Ever since being picked up in a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers over the offseason, Simons has been viewed as a potential trade candidate for the C’s. And even with the team exceeding expectations, that still remains the case.
Simons has had to adapt to a new role as a sparkplug scorer off the bench, but he’s still putting up strong numbers, as he’s averaging 13.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game on 43.3% shooting from the field. While Boston is open to moving Simons, it isn’t going to trade him just for the sake of doing so.
“The Celtics have been unwilling to part with a future first-round pick to move Simons, league sources told HoopsHype,” Michael Scotto reported. “Simons is in the final year of his contract worth $27.68 million, averaging 13.5 points on 39.6 percent shooting from 3-point range as a Celtics reserve. He’s also drawn interest from the Milwaukee Bucks.”
Moving on from Simons would help Boston avoid the luxury tax threshold, which would allow the front office to properly rebuild the roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, once the former returns to the court. As we’ve seen this season, though, this team is already ahead of schedule when it comes to its quest to remain a title contender.
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The C’s could go either way when it comes to holding onto Simons, or potentially dealing him away. What his future ends up looking like will end up being one of the most important storylines surrounding the team ahead of the trade deadline.
Featured image via Rob Gray/Imagn Images
