Will the Boston Celtics trade Anfernee Simons this offseason?
And given the team remains about $300,000 over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA)'s dreaded second apron, we expect the team to try to dip under that bright red line in terms of team building to get out of the severe penalties that will bring on Boston regarding making trades, draft picks, and their tax bill. So any sort of move from the Celtics make with regard to Simons will likely be in part a financial one, but also might help in addressing the roster imbalance given Boston's lack of starting caliber big men.
The folks behind the "1080 the Fan" YouTube channel put together a clip from their "Danny and Dusty" show taking a closer look. Check it out below!
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA offseason grades for every East team: Are Knicks, Bucks among contenders who aced the summer? Who flunked?
Our offseason grades for every team in the NBA's Western Conference turned out so perfectly — without a single complaint — that we decided to be nice and give you an inarguable list of grades in the East, too. The conference took a pair of haymakers to its face in the playoffs, as the 2024 and 2025 East champion Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, respectively, lost Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton to torn Achilles tendons. It was already a watered-down conference that sent its sixth seed to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It stood to get worse if Giannis Antetokounmpo had requested a trade, which he did not, if only because his Milwaukee Bucks made one last (wild) attempt to satiate his championship desires. Presumably, we can expect Joel Embiid to rejoin the Philadelphia 76ers, though his health perennially remains a concern. The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic made significant upgrades, capitalizing on the absences of Tatum and Haliburton and joining a list of legit challengers to the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. The conference looks a lot different, and we are now here to hand out grades for how it got to be that way ... Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards Win totals from BetMGM Atlanta Hawks 2024-25 record: 40-42 2025-26 wins O/U: 47.5 Key additions: Kristaps Porziņģis • Nickeil Alexander-Walker • Luke Kennard • Asa Newell Key subtractions: Clint Capela • Larry Nance Jr. • Georges Niang • Terance Mann The Hawks paired four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young with do-it-all center Kristaps Porziņģis, and all it really cost them was Georges Niang. Porziņģis can efficiently score anywhere from 30 feet to the basket. He protects the rim well and defends better in space than you would think for a 7-foot-3 unicorn. It is a low-cost, high-reward bet on the availability of Porziņģis, who has rarely been healthy. In between Young and Porziņģis, Atlanta padded its depth on the wing, where rising star Jalen Johnson, Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher already formed a solid young core. The Hawks signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the 26-year-old cousin of NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a versatile guard himself, with Luke Kennard, to round out a playoff rotation. Grade: A Boston Celtics 2024-25 record: 61-21 2025-26 wins O/U: 43.5 Key additions: Anfernee Simons • Georges Niang • Luka Garza • Hugo González • Josh Minott Key subtractions: Kristaps Porziņģis • Jrue Holiday • Luke Kornet The Celtics entered the summer knowing they needed to get under the second apron and are well on their way to getting it done. It cost them Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, a pair of impactful veterans. Luke Kornet left for more money from the San Antonio Spurs, too. The return for Porziņģis and Holiday — Anfernee Simons and Niang — was as underwhelming as expected for what amounted to a salary dump. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] They drafted Hugo González, whose work showed in summer league, and they added a pair of under-utilized former Minnesota Timberwolves, Luka Garza and Josh Minott. None of it will steal headlines, but all of it was necessary, and they came out on the other side of it about as flexible as they could. In the end, following Tatum's injury, everything Boston does is with championship contention in 2027 in mind. Grade: C Brooklyn Nets 2024-25 record: 26-56 2025-26 wins O/U: 20.5 Key additions: Michael Porter Jr. • Terance Mann • Nolan Traoré • Egor Demin • Ben Saraf • Danny Wolf • Drake Powell Key subtractions: Cam Johnson • D'Angelo Russell • De'Anthony Melton • Trendon Watford • Maxwell Lewis The Nets entered this offseason with more picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft and more salary cap space than any other team. This forewarned us of a summer of significant change, or so we thought. Brooklyn used each one of its draft picks, not consolidating any of them and even adding another one, absorbing Terance Mann's contract into cap space in exchange for a fifth first-rounder. Who knows if there is a star among them. There will certainly be plenty of competition for the ball among five rookies. The ball might be available to them more often, too, if the Nets cannot come to terms with restricted free agent Cam Thomas. They also traded their second-leading scorer, Cam Johnson, turning the two years and $44 million left on his contract into two years and $79 million worth of Michael Porter Jr., the oft-injured former Denver Nugget. And they picked up another first-round pick in 2032 for that trouble. Grade: D Charlotte Hornets 2024-25 record: 19-63 2025-26 wins O/U: 25.5 Key additions: Kon Knueppel • Liam McNeeley • Collin Sexton • Pat Connaughton • Spencer Dinwiddie Key subtractions: Jusuf Nurkić • Mark Williams Your 2025 summer league champions, starring the title game's MVP, Kon Knueppel! He and fellow rookie Liam McNeeley should provide shooting for a team that desperately needs it around LaMelo Ball. The Hornets also targeted a pair of veterans, Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie, as capable backups to the oft-injured Ball. Basically, a lot is being done to both build around Ball and prepare for his absence, which is a harsh reality for the Hornets and not one in which a lot of other teams would want to exist. Charlotte is, however, better off than it was at summer's start, other than its apparent plan to begin the season without a starting-caliber center. That seems like something the Hornets would want for Ball, too, but they sure did not want it to be Mark Williams, who they jettisoned (again) for draft compensation. Grade: B Chicago Bulls 2024-25 record: 39-43 2025-26 wins O/U: 32.5 Key additions: Noa Essengue • Isaac Okoro Key subtractions: Lonzo Ball Talk about underwhelming. A once-great franchise in a major media market, the Bulls entered this offseason after another mediocre campaign with little ambition beyond making a late lottery selection. They took France's Noa Essengue, an 18-year-old project, to join Matas Buzelis as Chicago's latest hope. Their only other move of any real consequence (as negotiations with restricted free agent Josh Giddey are at a standstill) was trading Lonzo Ball — a good player (when healthy) who meaningfully impacts what the Bulls are capable of — for Isaac Okoro, a wing who fell out of favor with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Okoro and Patrick Williams, both top-five picks from the 2020 draft class, will make a combined $58.8 million over the next two seasons, a price tag no other team would assume. Grade: F Cleveland Cavaliers 2024-25 record: 64-18 2025-26 wins O/U: 56.5 Key additions: Lonzo Ball • Larry Nance Jr. Key subtractions: Ty Jerome • Isaac Okoro The Cavaliers are a 64-win team that is spending into the second apron, so they expected to lose Ty Jerome, their Sixth Man of the Year candidate. As Jerome signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland swapped Okoro for Ball, who replaces the playmaking off the bench. Re-signing old friend Larry Nance Jr. was also a nice bit of business for a front office with zero flexibility. Grade: B Detroit Pistons 2024-25 record: 44-38 2025-26 wins O/U: 45.5 Key additions: Caris LeVert • Duncan Robinson Key subtractions: Dennis Schröder • Tim Hardaway Jr. As free agency opened, news came down that Malik Beasley — Detroit's Sixth Man of the Year candidate — was under federal investigation for a gambling-related infraction. That altered everything the Pistons were trying to accomplish, as they were also set to lose reserves Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway Jr. In their place Detroit signed Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson for a combined $31 million annually. Neither the Cavaliers nor the Miami Heat made much of an effort to retain LeVert and Robinson, which should tell us that neither of them can replace what Beasley provided for the Pistons last season. Grade: D Indiana Pacers 2024-25 record: 50-32 2025-26 wins O/U: 38.5 Key additions: Jay Huff Key subtractions: Myles Turner In a move the Pacers did not see coming, the Bucks created enough salary cap space to sign Myles Turner away from their rivals, robbing Indiana of one of its key cogs en route to the NBA Finals this past season. Losing Haliburton to an Achilles injury for the entirety of the 2025-26 season was bad enough. But to also lose Turner for nothing was devastating. It turned Indiana into just another team in the immediate aftermath of the franchise exceeding all expectations. It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that could not be rectified by the addition of Jay Huff, who has played well in spot center duty for Memphis. Grade: D Miami Heat 2024-25 record: 37-45 2025-26 wins O/U: 37.5 Key additions: Norman Powell • Kasparas Jakučionis Key subtractions: Duncan Robinson • Kyle Anderson • Kevin Love Miami, one of the best destination cities in the entire NBA, enters every offseason with high hopes for major improvements. The Heat once again fell short of those expectations, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and other major stars never became available. Not that the Heat had enough to trade for them anyway. Instead, Miami turned the expiring contracts of Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love into Norman Powell, a 2025 All-Star snub for the Los Angeles Clippers. He gives them another quality player, along with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and a cast of prospects, which now includes Kasparas Jakučionis. The Heat are better than they were at last season's end and still nowhere near where they want to be. Grade: B Milwaukee Bucks 2024-25 record: 48-34 2025-26 wins O/U: 43.5 Key additions: Myles Turner • Vasilije Micić • Gary Harris Key subtractions: Brook Lopez • Damian Lillard • Pat Connaughton Oh, man. The Bucks waived and stretched the remaining nine figures left on Damian Lillard's contract to make enough room to sign Turner from the Pacers. It equates to a $50 million annual bet on Turner as a partner to Antetokounmpo, whose long-term commitment to Milwaukee remains in serious question. Turner represents an upgrade from the outgoing Brook Lopez. That much is not in question. However, paying Lillard an average of $22.5 million over the next five seasons not to play for the Bucks is a serious hindrance to team-building in the future. Sooner or later, Antetokounmpo will come to accept this as a roadblock to his next championship, but for now the Turner signing seems to have kept him satisfied. Grade: C New York Knicks 2024-25 record: 51-31 2025-26 wins O/U: 53.5 Key additions: Guerschon Yabusele • Jordan Clarkson Key subtractions: Precious Achiuwa • P.J. Tucker The Knicks had nothing more than a taxpayer's mid-level exception and minimum contracts to upgrade a rotation that was only seven men deep in the postseason. They smartly identified Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson as capable contributors from teams that failed to make the playoffs last season. Their biggest move of the summer, however, swapping head coach Tom Thibodeau, who led them to the Eastern Conference finals, for Mike Brown, remains a question mark. Who knows if his offensive schemes can squeeze more from a roster that Thibodeau mostly maximized around Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, despite their built-in defensive limitations. At the very least, Brown should be able to enter this coming season's playoffs with a more rested roster, thanks to their offseason additions. Grade: B Orlando Magic 2024-25 record: 41-41 2025-26 wins O/U: 51.5 Key additions: Desmond Bane • Tyus Jones • Jase Richardson • Noah Penda Key subtractions: Cole Anthony • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope • Cory Joseph • Gary Harris No team in the East took a bigger swing at contention in the absence of Tatum and Haliburton than the Magic, who swapped Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the rights to four first-round draft picks with the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane, one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league. Orlando was a pesky out in the first round of the playoffs, as both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner flashed their worth as max-contracted players. It was clear the Magic lacked talent in the backcourt, where Jalen Suggs was injured for the postseason. He will return to a corps that now includes Bane, Tyus Jones and rookie Jase Richardson. That is a sizable upgrade for a team in desperate need of shooting. Grade: A Philadelphia 76ers 2024-25 record: 24-58 2025-26 wins O/U: 42.5 Key additions: VJ Edgecombe Key subtractions: Guerschon Yabusele The 76ers stunk last season, which is how they ended up with the No. 3 overall draft pick, which they used to select VJ Edgecombe, prioritizing his dependability over the upside of Ace Bailey. Edgecombe joins Tyrese Maxey and a rehabbed Jared McCain in what is a young and talented backcourt. It could get even more talented if Philadelphia comes to terms with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. The Sixers should not stink as bad as they did last season. Then again, their success hinges almost entirely on the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George, both of whom are still nursing knee injuries. The loss of either to an extended absence would make Philadelphia feel Yabusele's departure a little more. Grade: B Toronto Raptors 2024-25 record: 30-52 2025-26 wins O/U: 37.5 Key additions: Collin Murray-Boyles • Sandro Mamukelashvili Key subtractions: Chris Boucher The Raptors, who fired longtime executive Masai Ujiri, replacing him with longtime general manager Bobby Webster, entered the offseason with a salary cap sheet full of overpaid players and did nothing to assuage those concerns. They are on the hook this season for about $156 million for Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, and I am not sure any other team would want to pay any of them what they are owed. That makes it hard to make moves in the summer. So, instead they made an annual pick around No. 9 in the draft, taking Collin Murray-Boyles, who prognosticators liked. How he develops in the presence of so many players who are trying to earn their contracts is anyone's guess. Most likely he will be joined by another pick around No. 9 next season. Grade: D Washington Wizards 2024-25 record: 18-64 2025-26 wins O/U: 21.5 Key additions: Tre Johnson • Cam Whitmore • CJ McCollum Key subtractions: Jordan Poole • Marcus Smart • Saddiq Bey The Wizards entered the offseason with the league's second-worst record, one win better than the Utah Jazz, and somehow fell to the No. 6 overall pick. They still scored Tre Johnson, who impressed in summer league. They also took a flier on Cam Whitmore, an under-utilized talent on the Houston Rockets, and all it cost them was a couple of second-round draft picks. Add Johnson and Whitmore to a young core that now includes Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington, among other recent first-round draft picks. Oh, and the Wizards shed $77.5 million worth of Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey in favor of CJ McCollum's $30.7 million expiring salary, bringing in one of the league's most respected veterans and opening up even more salary cap space for next summer. They are doing smart things in Washington for once. Grade: B
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Georges Niang is well aware of how Celtics fans feel about him
Georges Niang is a Massachusetts native getting ready to don Green for the Boston Celtics. But the nine-year veteran hasn't exactly received a friendly welcome from Boston fans, and he's well aware of it. Niang was acquired by the Celtics in this summer's Kristaps Porzingis swap with the Atlanta Hawks. The move was made to shed some salary and help get Boston under the second apron heading into "gap season" that likely won't include superstar Jayson Tatum. That he was acquired for a fan favorite like Porzingis is only part of the issue Boston fans have with Niang. While he's carved out a pretty solid career as a 3-and-D role player in his five previous stops, Niang is also a bit of a hot head. He's not going to take any nonsense from the opposition, and he occasionally toes the line. He did just that in a heated playoff game between the Celtics and the 76ers two years ago, when he grabbed Jaylen Brown's ankle from the Philadelphia bench. Boston fans never forget when you try something like that on any player, let alone a star like Brown, and still have a good amount of vitriol for Niang. Local ties be damned (Niang was born in Lawrence and grew up in Methuen), there's a large faction of the fanbase waiting and hoping for Niang to get traded again this offseason. He's well aware of the less-than-warm welcome he's received from his hometown fanbase, but had a great reaction to it during an appearance on "The OGs" podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. "You know how tough Boston fans are," Niang said to Haslem. "They don't give a [expletive] if I'm from Boston or not. They're like, 'You just took our unicorn and replaced him with a minivan. Get the [expletive] out of here.'" While Porzingis is known as "The Unicorn" thanks to his downtown threat and playmaking abilities as a big man, Niang has earned the less-than-endearing nickname "The Minivan" since it usually takes him some time to get going and build energy in games -- much like a minivan trying to pick up speed. "I'm like public enemy No. 1," he said. "They're like, 'What the... what is this? This ain't shiny, this got scratches on it!'" That perspective may earn him a few more fans in Boston. But the best way to win them over is to go out and be Georges Niang in a Celtics uniform. While Niang has been mentioned in trade rumors since landing with his hometown team, he's focused on how he can make an impact on a team in transition. With Tatum likely out for the season, Niang could carve out an extremely important role in Boston. "Boston has done a really good job when guys have missed games. It's their culture and who they are. So now it's, what can you do to maximize what you have to help them win games? You don't want to be in Boston losing," said Niang. Niang had a solid 3-and-D role (with a little bit of enforcer added in) with the top-seeded Cavaliers last season before he was sent to the Hawks at the trade deadline. He played well in Atlanta, where Niang averaged 12.1 points per game off 44.1 percent shooting. He won't provide the rim protection Boston lost by sending Porzingis to the Hawks, but the forward can stretch the floor as a 40 percent shooter from downtown. While Boston fans are still miffed at Niang for his ankle grab two summers ago, it appears he and Brown have squashed any lingering beef. Both players were courtside at TD Garden last week for the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever WNBA matchup, and posed for pictures at the game.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Rockets exec views Boston's Payton Pritchard as potential comparison for Reed Sheppard
Payton Pritchard gradually broke through as an undersized guard with the Celtics, and Houston is hoping for a similar trajectory with Reed Sheppard. Once upon a time, Payton Pritchard was a young and undersized guard who struggled to get consistent playing time on the Boston Celtics. While always a respected shooter, he needed to improve defensively and become more of an all-around player to earn regular minutes from coaches such as Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla. By his fourth season, Pritchard became a rotation fixture for the 2024 NBA champions. In his fifth season of 2024-25, he went on to win the league's Sixth Man of the Year award. With Udoka now in Houston, the hope is that Pritchard's rise can perhaps provide a blueprint for second-year guard Reed Sheppard. Quoting a front-office executive from the Rockets, Spotrac's Keith Smith writes: Big year coming for Reed. I've seen you make the Payton Pritchard comp before, and I think that's sort of fair. Pritchard had to prove it to earn his minutes. Same with Reed. We had a tough backcourt to get minutes in last year. This year, there are minutes there for him, if he takes them. Ime (Udoka) doesn't give anyone anything. If you play, it's because you earned his trust and earned that time. Reed did everything we asked, and now he's on his way to earning those rotation minutes. It's worth noting that while Pritchard was drafted late in the 2020 first round, Sheppard went at No. 3 overall in 2024. So, the Rockets' hope is that Sheppard's development into a consistently good player for a title contender can be expedited, and perhaps come a bit more quickly than it did for Pritchard. We'll find out starting this fall, when Sheppard is expected to have a regular rotation role for a Houston team that enters with championship aspirations.
