Celtics land center of the future in mock Anfernee Simons trade

The Boston Celtics completely turned over their center rotation this season. Would a trade for Nic Claxton fill their void at center long-term? And should the Celtics use Anfernee Simons to land him?

It has been a difficult summer for fans of the Boston Celtics. Their beloved franchise, just one year removed from winning it all, has had to strip down the roster to save money and better their chances of competing two and four years from now. That hasn't made it less painful.

Part of that turnover has been at the center position, where last year's entire rotation has been jettisoned into the sun. Kristaps Porzingis is now in Atlanta, Luke Kornet is in San Antonio, and Al Horford is in limbo. In their place are a few minimum-level players and some fliers at the position. Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta are not qualified or capable to manning the position on a winning team.

That is fine this season, when the Celtics are essentially taking a "gap year" as Jayson Tatum recovers from his torn Achilles. At some point, be it during or after the season, they will need to upgrade the position.

One trade proposed by NBA trade account Fanspo would partner with the Brooklyn Nets to bring that long-term starter up the coastline to Boston. The Celtics would use the contract of Anfernee Simons, acquired in their salary-cutting move to get off of Jrue Holiday's contract, to bring back center Nic Claxton from the Nets. Here is the proposed deal:

Is this a deal the Celtics should make? Is this trade completely unhinged? Let's take a closer look.

Should the Celtics trade for Nic Claxton?

A six-year NBA veteran, Claxton has established himself as a solid starter for the Brooklyn Nets, who originally drafted him with the 31st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, a few picks after the Celtics took Grant Williams.

Claxton has started 229 games over that span, battling injuries early in his career but then playing at least 70 games in each of the last three seasons. He led the league in field goal percentage playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2022-23, landing a large contract from the Nets the following summer.

Since then, his game has slipped off. He shot a concerning 56.3 percent from the field last season, his rebound percentage dropped from 18.2 percent to just 15.5 percent, and his block percentage tumbled as well. His defensive metrics were still decent enough, but offensively he was well below water.

Was the slippage due to playing on a tanking team, or was his breakout season a fluke and he is much more of a mediocre center? The answer to that question matters a great deal.

Claxton is under contract for the next three seasons for $67.4 million altogether, on a descending deal that pays him $25.3 million this season and just $20.9 million in 2027-28. Claxton is the ninth-highest paid center this season, checking in just ahead of Myles Turner, Naz Reid and Jarrett Allen.

While Claxton does make a few million less than Anfernee Simons this season, he is under contract for two more years. As the cap goes up his contract goes down, which is helpful, but it still locks the Celtics into Claxton to either play or trade him. Perhaps that's a benefit to give them matching salary next summer in a way that Simons would not; perhaps it's a negative if Claxton's play continues to degrade.

Swapping Claxton for Simons straight-up is a reasonable question. Claxton is overpaid right now, but if he bounces back, then his deal will be fine in future seasons. Simons is an extremely talented scoring guard who doesn't fit Boston's scheme or philosophy on players. A 1-for-1 trade is a reasonable thing to consider.

The idea that the Celtics would throw in two first-round picks attached to Simons is ludicrous. The Celtics hope to bounce back in 2027, but they also hope to use their picks to add difference-making talent; that has never truly applied to Nicolas Claxton. A 2032 first-round swap has high-end possibilities and should be entirely off the table.

Is this a trade worth making? Absolutely not. The cost is too high and the player coming back is somewhere in the 25-35 range among centers; that's not someone worth committing to long-term. The Celtics should stay away.