Celtics' Anfernee Simons trade blows the door wide open for a bigger move

Fansided | February 5, 2026

From thoughts related to Jayson Tatum and Nikola Vucevic to bidding farewell to Anfernee Simons, here are leftover musings from Tuesday's Celtics trade.

Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

A crucial component of the Boston Celtics' trade with the Chicago Bulls is that the former created a $27.7 million traded player exception. They did so by absorbing Nikola Vucevic into a $22.