Celtics change grades for Nikola Vucevic-Anferni Simmons deals with Bulls

ByNBAUSA



Instead of dipping their toes into trading waters before the Feb. 5 trade deadlinethe Boston Celtics dove head first, agreeing to guard Anfernee Simmons to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for veteran center Nikola Vucevic.

Boston also received a 2027 second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange on Tuesday night while the Bulls earned the most favorable 2026 second-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks or Portland Trail Blazers, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith.

Although the trade cannot be made official yet, the Celtics announced that Simmons will sit out for personal reasons on Tuesday night when the Green Team faces the Dallas Mavericks on the road. But before the 2024 NBA Finals rematch ends, let’s evaluate this landmark trade and grade it for the Celtics.

Evaluation of Celtics replacement Anferni Simmons-Nikola Vucevic

There have been trade talks about Vucevic for years, so it’s no surprise that he was finally transferred. In fact, the Bulls tried to ship him to Buntown for Simmons and a first-round pick a few weeks ago, however, the price was too high for the C’s, league sources told HoopsHipe’s Michael Scott.

The deal is still in place, and the Celtics have plenty of upside to consider.

First of all, this trade makes Boston much more financially flexible, which was a major goal for the Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

“I think the biggest thing is obviously the need to prioritize getting our flexibility back and maximizing, from an asset standpoint, what we can do,” Stevens said at a news conference in June.

Would trade 2024 NBA champions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingislosing centers Al Horford and Luke Cornett in free agency, and recently trading Simmons, the Celtics are now below the top tier. That means they can add payroll in future trades, sign players on the buyout market and get one step closer to avoiding taxes.

While Boston is still $5.9 million above that all-important tax line, it has come a long way since it was seriously over the top this summer and suffered restrictive tax penalties as a result.

Furthermore, the Celtics netted a Traded Player Exception (TPE) of nearly $28 million from this deal. That could prove useful next year when C hopefully star forward Jayson Tatum is back and healthy (if he doesn’t come back before then).

The financial situation still looks promising when considering the contracts of Vucevic and Simmons. The former will make about $21 million this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. By comparison, Simmons will take home about $27 million before he hits unrestricted free agency next season.

Expiring contract applies to Celtics. Vucevic is 35, and while Boston needs big man depth, he doesn’t want to be stuck with an old, expensive player if things don’t work out.

The two-time All-Star is currently averaging 16.9 points per game — his lowest in nearly a decade — while shooting an impressive 50.5% from the floor and 37.6% from 3-point range. Vucevic’s ability to shoot from deep and stretch the floor is vital to the Celtics’ system and despite the fact that he is no longer in his prime, the former USC Trojan still managed to provide the mediocre Bulls with reliable production while his name floated in trade talks.

Vucevic will round out a solid Celtics frontcourt highlighted by fellow centers Neemias Cueta and Luka Garza. More than halfway through the regular season, Cueta and Garza held onto the fifth spot. However, improvement at the position was necessary for the Celtics and became especially evident whenever one of their aforementioned big men was in trouble.

“It’s not going to be a group that people are going to single out, based on paper, based on what they’ve done in their careers so far, as our strongest position,” Stevens said of his centers before the season. “But it’s up to them to prove otherwise.”

What are the Celtics’ flaws in this trade?

Major improvements aside, the Celtics just got a little weaker at guard. After a shaky start in October and November, Simmons developed into a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging over 14 points per outing while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc.

He gracefully accepted coming off the bench and, like Vucevic, was mentally tough enough to play through constant trade talk. Finding another microwave scorer like that will be difficult for the Celtics, especially since Simmons is only 26 years old and clearly capable of more.

Losing his talent and youth is the most important downside to this trade for Boston. However, perhaps the scoring void left by Simmons’ departure has been filled Tatum, who is not yet officially ruled out for the season.

That could soften the blow of inflicting Simmons, or perhaps another bounce from the reigns Sixth Man of the Year Peyton Pritchard it will count for that.

Regardless, not being able to re-sign Simmons in the offseason is a notable negative. Vucevic isn’t all that enticing as an extension candidate, but he could land one if he serves the Celtics well as a potential starting center right now and, most importantly, in the postseason.

Vucevic and Simmons have never accomplished much in their playoff careers, and both will look to change that in April if the Celtics, who are in third place in the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls, who are sitting in a playoff position, can extend their season.

Before any playoff talk, there will be an intriguing regular season battle between the Celtics and Bulls on Feb. 11 at TD Garden. If these trades end up being finalized, the NBA world could get a chance to see early returns from the deal in action.

Final grade: B+





2026-02-04 01:01:00

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