Over the summer, the Boston Celtics’ focus was ducking the first apron. They succeeded. They traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and let Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk in free agency. Now, they’re fully under the first apron, but they could still attempt to duck the repeater tax by shedding around $12 to $13 million this season. But plans may have changed.
Anfernee Simons seemed to be an obvious candidate to be traded. If Boston could find a way to dump around half his salary, they could be on their way to potentially dodging the repeater tax. Moving on from Sam Hauser could have also helped.
However, the Celtics’ trade deadline plans may look much different now than they may have at the beginning of the season.
Celtics may have to shift their trade plans
Before the season began, there was no way of knowing where it would go. With all of the pieces Boston lost over the summer, combined with Jayson Tatum’s absence due to an Achilles rupture, the Celtics could have gone in a bunch of different directions.
Tanking wasn’t out of the question. There was a chance Boston could have been toward the bottom of the East. Had that been the case, the Celtics almost certainly would have looked to trade Simons (and potentially other pieces) at the deadline.
Even if the Celtics ended up as a middle-of-the-pack team—which was firmly in the realm of possibilities—they may have considered selling assets at the deadline.
But neither of those potential realities came true. The Celtics aren’t tanking. They aren’t a middle-of-the-pack team. They are one of the best teams in the NBA.
And to make their decisions even more difficult, Simons is finally coming into his own with the Celtics. He’s shooting the ball well, making smart decisions in terms of his offensive spacing, and finding a groove within the scope of Boston’s defensive scheme.
Trading him now could legitimately hurt the Celtics’ chances of competing in the East. However, if Boston wants to maximize its future, trading him, keeping his salary slot past this season, and moving that new money for a better fit could be smarter.
Then again, perhaps they could simply try to re-sign Simons this summer, keeping him on board as a bench piece moving forward.
Regardless, the Celtics’ trade plans have to have significantly shifted. They reportedly tried to trade Simons all summer, and it seemed a given that they would try again at the deadline.
Now? Even that is unclear.
They may be too good to make significant changes.