Anfernee Simons' name has been tossed into trade rumors since the moment it was announced that he had been traded to the Boston Celtics. Boston’s ultimate goal, at least entering the season, seemed to be to clear as much salary as possible to dive below the first apron and maybe even the luxury tax.
Of course, Simons’ $27 million owed this year could be a great tool to help them reach that goal, should they find the right trade to offload his money.
Most of the speculation to this point would tell you that if teams were interested in trading for the 26-year-old, he would’ve already been moved. Regardless, there’s still a little over a month before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, so things could change by then.
As of now, the feeling is still that the Celtics would have to attach assets to move Simons’ money.
Bill Simmons suggests Malik Monk for Anfernee Simons swap
On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Bill Simmons pitched his ideal return for Simons: Sacramento Kings guard, Malik Monk.
In order for a deal involving the two players to work, Boston would have to take back some additional salary because the Kings are hard-capped. They could still dive beneath the first apron if it were Simons for Monk and Doug McDermott.
Simmons’ thinking here makes sense. The hypothetical deal would enable the C's to shed salary while also replacing Simons with someone who could replicate what he does. Monk’s best campaign came when the Kings ended their longstanding playoff drought and finished third in the Western Conference. He finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting that season, clearly giving the Kings a boost off the bench.
It’s clear that he’s equipped to provide a winning spark for a competitive team off the bench. This season, Monk is averaging 11.8 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game on 43.1% from the field and 41.1% from long range. Those are some efficient numbers, especially when considering how much of a disaster Sacramento has been up to this point.
As to why the Kings would agree to a trade like this one, again, the Celtics would likely have to attach some draft capital (maybe second-rounders) to sweeten the deal.
There’s also a piece of this equation where Sacramento is just over there, trying its best. Like, they reassembled the mediocre DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine Chicago Bulls on purpose. There’s no direction with that franchise, and their precious beam is going to remain unlit on the majority of nights.