The Boston Celtics took a chance on former Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons during the 2025-26 season. Though Simons was ultimately traded for center Nikola Vucevic, he provided invaluable minutes as the Celtics sought to overcome widespread personnel losses and injuries.
With Simons now headed toward unrestricted free agency and the Chicago Bulls' interest in re-signing him fair to question, the Celtics must seriously consider an offseason reunion.
Simons played 49 games for Boston in 2025-26. During that time, he averaged 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.7 three-point field goals made in 24.5 minutes per game, shooting at an efficient clip of .440/.395/.889.
Simons' numbers translated to marks of 20.8 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes—top-tier production from a reserve.
Beyond the numbers, Simons bought in to the system and embraced the need to sacrifice on offense while committing more energy on defense. His isolation defense remained fairly erratic, but his intensity away from the ball ultimately proved valuable to team success.
Considering Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla often praised Simons and the Bulls are about to hit the reset button with a new front office, perhaps a reunion is a realistic possibility.
Anfernee Simons reunion would bolster Celtics second unit
Andrew Hanlon of Pippen Ain't Easy recently wrote about the five Bulls players who need to follow Chicago's front office in leaving Chicago. Hanlon's logic in naming Simons on that list was that he's a poor fit for a rotation that already has score-first players who don't necessarily excel on defense.
Compounded by the fact that Simons is 26 and the Bulls are seemingly embracing a youth movement, there's ample reason to go their separate ways.
Other suitors will likely exist for Simons, as his skill set is undeniably appealing to teams in need of offense. He's a career 38.1 percent three-point shooter and is a proven commodity in regard to creating for himself and others with the ball in his hands.
What works in the Celtics' favor in regard to potentially winning the competition to sign Simons in 2026 is the fact that he was asked if he can see a future for himself in Boston. This was his response:
"For sure, down the line. Like I said, I enjoyed my time here, built great relationships here, so yeah, I see it for sure.”
It stands to reason that Simons will be looking for a larger role than the one he received in Boston, as he has the talent level to play 30-plus minutes per game. He's also 26 and had started each of his previous 178 games before joining the Celtics.
As the Celtics look for ways to strengthen the second unit and retool on their path toward becoming NBA champions again, however, it'd be wise to at least pursue a reunion with Simons.
Add us as a preferred source on Google