NBA Buzz: Celtics Reportedly Want To Trade New Acquisition

Is another big trade on the horizon for the Boston Celtics?

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has completely re-tooled Boston’s roster this offseason in response to the franchise’s urgent desire to cut costs, a directive clarified by Jayson Tatum’s Achilles rupture.

Though Tatum is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery, the Celtics are still expected to be without their superstar for all or the vast majority of the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Back in June, Stevens and Boston’s leadership decided to lean fully into a “gap year” with ominous luxury tax penalties looming and Tatum sidelined. While the Celtics still expect to have a winning season, Stevens’ moves from this offseason suggest a plan for a renewed title push in 2026-27.

Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded. Luke Kornet wasn’t retained, and Al Horford isn’t expected to be, either. After acquiring Georges Niang in the Porzingis deal, Stevens traded Niang – a proven NBA rotation player — less than one month later to the Utah Jazz for RJ Luis in another cost-cutting move.

Stevens has succeeded in dropping Boston’s salary sheet under the second apron, thereby avoiding penalties. 

Is Stevens now eyeing further money-saving moves, perhaps to get under the first apron?

Trading Sam Hauser ($10 million owed next season) would be one way to move towards that objective, but on the other hand, Hauser has somewhat surprisingly survived the chopping block thus far, which indicates that the Celtics, in the words of Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, “want Sam Hauser to be part of their future.”

Mannix joined NBC Sports Boston’s Trenni Casey and Kayla Burton on Arbella Early Edition on Thursday to talk about the sale of the Celtics and the team’s roster outlook.

Mannix asserted that newly acquired guard Anfernee Simons — not Hauser — is the asset Boston is looking to trade next.

“The guy who the Celtics would like to trade is Anfernee Simons,” Mannix said.

“He’s making about $26 million this year on the last year of his contract … which means he’s probably going to be looking for a big deal in the summer of 2026.”

“When I’ve talked to other executives around the league, they’re telling me the Celtics are looking to deal Anfernee Simons, but the market for him is not that great,” Mannix continued. “He’s a good scorer, but he’s a minus defensive player.”

“The sense I’m getting right now is (that) if the Celtics want to move off of Anfernee Simons, they’re gonna have to attach a draft pick to him. Now, maybe that means a couple of second-round picks.”

“They certainly don’t want to attach a first,” Mannix continued, “but if the Celtics want to get under that first apron and potentially get under the luxury tax altogether, the best way to do it is to find a taker for Anfernee Simons. They just may have to sweeten the pot a little bit.”

Simons, 26, has averaged 15.0 points per game in his first seven NBA seasons, all with the Portland Trail Blazers.