OK, here’s the situation: Brad Stevens went away on a week’s vacation and he left you the keys to the Celtics’ brand-new roster. Would he mind a deal? Well, of course not.
Back in July, after an initial batch of roster tinkering saw the Celtics trade away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in a quest to dip below the second apron, Stevens suggested he’d be content if the roster in that moment was the roster that Boston carried into the offseason.
The Celtics have made six roster transactions since that declaration — albeit mostly tinkering on the back end of the roster and finalizing their two-way deals — but that maneuvering also included trading away the only player received in the Porzingis swap (Georges Niang).
Which is to say, even as the 2025-26 season approaches, this Celtics’ roster hardly feels set in stone. The team might have additional motivation to tinker depending on how the season plays out.
For Day 3 of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel to channel their inner Stevens and consider if there’s one more move they’d make for the Celtics before the season starts. Are our Armchair Brads comfortable with the team’s frontcourt depth chart? Do our Virtual Brads see Anfernee Simons as a long-term fit for this roster?
While the next big transaction feels more likely to come closer to the February trade deadline, this is the time of year when teams need to take a long look at their roster and decide if this is the group they’re content to roll with. Given the absence of Jayson Tatum to start the season and some of the talent drain that occurred this summer, the Celtics can take a bit of a wait-and-see approach, but they also have to be opportunistic with eyes towards building the next iteration of a championship-caliber roster.
My goal: The Celtics sit about $12 million away from clearing the luxury tax. Even if it’s sometimes difficult to see a path toward resetting the repeater penalties by getting under (and staying under) the tax in one of the next two seasons, at least you put yourself in position to ponder that option by getting there this season.
So, while we’re content to carry Simons into the season, we’re examining deals that send out Simons while trying to 1) Bring back at least one player who could be a high-level role player on a championship team and 2) Cut salary with the goal of eventually getting below the tax after all deadline maneuvering is complete.
Since no one ever knows what exactly the Bulls are doing, we’re calling them to see if they think Simons can help in their annual quest to land a play-in berth. Even after the Bulls sign Josh Giddey to a long-term deal, Chicago has ample room to take on salary. Would they take on Simons’ money for a package that includes something like Ayo Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, and Dalen Terry?
The Celtics shed nearly $6 million off the books with this deal and would have pathways to eventually get below the tax (particularly if they could move a player like Terry to a third team without taking back salary). Boston gets a look at Dosunmu, someone who better fits the mold of a long-term piece, and can decide if it want to pay his next deal.
Speaking of Bulls moves… That’s where our panel starts as well:
Josh Canu, Media Editor
Trade Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic.
Both players are on expiring contracts, the Bulls get a younger player, and the Celtics get a starting center and some cap relief as well. Not the sexiest move, but a move that works and is attainable.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
I’d pay Isaiah Thomas to be a part of the organization, either as a player or on the coaching staff.
I never felt right about how things turned out for IT, and bringing him back to Boston would be good karma.
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
The easy answer is trading Anfernee Simons and his $27.6 million expiring contract to shed salary. The hard part is finding a deal that makes sense.
After tinkering with NBA trade machines, we’ll go with a three-team proposal from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey that sends Simons to Toronto and Terance Mann and Ochai Agbaji to Boston.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
I’m inviting all of my friends to the Garden for some pickup basketball, first and foremost. After that, I don’t think I’m going too crazy.
The chances of going on a title run without Tatum are minuscule, if we’re being honest. So, why push the envelope when I could reset some financials and build for the following season?
If I’m doing anything, though, I’m challenging Joe Mazzulla to just try for one game to tell his team to take a normal number of 3s, just to see what happens. It’s possible I’d be engaged in some hand-to-hand combat as a result.
Sean McGuire, Web Producer
Brad Stevens said it was unlikely Al Horford would return. That was months ago. It feels like it’s a done deal and Horford is headed to Golden State. But since it hasn’t happened yet, I’m going with Big Al.
If I was running the front office, I’m making it work with Horford, an all-time Celtic and impactful contributor who would improve the front court in 2025-26. (I hope this doesn’t age as poorly as it very well could.)
Kevin Miller, VP, Content
I’m not sure there’s anything Stevens can really do. Adding another big would make sense, but I don’t see any realistic options.
I’m keeping Simons to see how he works in this offense for first half of season.
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
Make some room for Malik Beasley and add him on a discount prove-it deal.
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