Anfernee Simmons teases potential return to Boston after Bulls trade
Anfernee Simmons was a a key contributor comes off the bench for Joe Mazzula and Boston Celtics. Despite being a starter his entire career, Simmons was willing to sacrifice his role to help the Celtics become a true contender in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately for the team and the 26-year-old guard, he was a victim of the Celtics’ cap issues. As a result of being in the final year of his contract, Simmons was eventually moved by Boston on the trade deadline until Chicago Bulls for veteran center Nikola Vucevic.
Not only did such a move lessen the tax burden on the Celtics, but it also addressed a key need in their frontcourt, allowing for a real championship push this season. Simmons will now finish the 2025-26 season on a team without direction or a path to the playoffs before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Could that mean Simmons will seriously entertain Thinking of returning to Boston in the near future?
“For sure. Obviously we have to finish the season here first and then see what happens there. But, you know, for sure down the stretch,” Simmons told reporters before the Celtics beat the Bulls 124-105 on Wednesday night, via CLNS Media . “Like I said, I’ve enjoyed it here and built great relationships. So, yeah, I can see that for sure.”
In his return to Boston since being traded to the Bulls, Simmons scored just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor in 28 minutes. He has started all four games he has played for Chicago since the trade deadline.
It’s uncertain what the future holds for Simmons this upcoming offseason. In a weaker free agent market, Simmons will stand out as one of the better, more established young talents in the backfield, but many teams won’t be able to offer him a long-term, high-paying deal in the summer.
So it’s realistic to believe that Simmons could decide to return to the Celtics in a team deal, especially since he’s been valued by the organization and has embraced his role as their sixth man off the bench.
It will be interesting to see what level of interest Simmons can generate around the league heading into the offseason.
2026-02-12 16:55:00
