Anfernee Simons Reflects on Celtics Tenure, Embraces New Chapter with Bulls
BOSTON - Anfernee Simons knew this day might come. Ever since he landed in Boston via trade last summer, his name had been swirling in trade rumors. So when the call came from Celtics president Brad Stevens just before tipoff in Dallas last week, it wasn’t a total shock - but that didn’t make it any easier.
“Brad’s a good guy. He’s always been honest with me,” Simons said Wednesday morning at Bulls shootaround inside TD Garden. “It was a tough conversation for both of us, but I understood.”
Simons, now 26, didn’t spend long in Boston - just 49 games - but he made the most of his time there. He spoke fondly of the bonds he built with teammates and the city, calling the sudden shift “the toughest part” of being traded.
“You win together, lose together, build those relationships,” Simons said. “Then all of a sudden, it stops.
That’s the part that hits. But the NBA moves fast - not even two days later, I’m suiting up for a new team.”
That new team is the Chicago Bulls, and Simons has hit the ground running. Through his first three games in a Bulls uniform, he’s averaging 20 points and 5.3 assists per game, shooting nearly 49% from the field and 34% from deep. The Bulls haven’t found the win column yet since the deadline, but Simons’ individual production has been encouraging.
Still, walking back into TD Garden in a red jersey - less than two weeks after dropping 27 points there in a Celtics blowout win over the Bucks - felt surreal.
“You start to see a future for yourself in Boston,” Simons said. “You’re winning, everything’s clicking, you’re getting comfortable.
They try to make you feel at home. You want to see it through.
But at the end of the day, the NBA is a business.”
The Celtics moved Simons in a deal that brought in veteran big man Nikola Vucevic, a former All-Star with the kind of inside-out game that fits Boston’s system. For Simons, knowing he was traded for a player of Vucevic’s caliber helped put things in perspective.
“That part makes it easier,” he said. “You get emotional - of course - but you understand it.
He’s a great player. He can help them win.
So I come here, dive into this new team, and compete.”
Before the trade went down, Simons had already grown used to hearing his name in trade talks. It’s been a recurring theme since his third year in the league.
“It’s the NBA,” he said last month. “Every other week, it’s something new. You just have to be where your feet are.”
And in Boston, Simons made an impact - even in a limited role. He averaged 24.5 minutes per game, his lowest in five seasons, but his presence was felt both on and off the court.
“He’s just a great person - humble, hard-working, fit right in,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown. “He did everything we asked and more.
Contributed to winning. Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me.
I hope he gets everything he deserves.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla echoed that sentiment, praising Simons for his professionalism and preparation.
“He handled everything about as well as you could ask,” Mazzulla said. “We’re a better team for having had him - because of his humility, his work ethic, and his dedication.”
Even the younger guys felt Simons’ absence. At a community event on Tuesday, rookie Jordan Walsh cracked a smile when asked about facing his former teammate.
“Glad I’ll get to see Ant [Wednesday],” Walsh said. “We’ll have to destroy him, though.
But it’ll be good to have him back in the Garden. Definitely miss those guys - it leaves a void.”
Simons, for his part, sees his time in Boston as a valuable learning experience. He didn’t get the minutes he was used to, but he gained something just as important: insight into what it takes to win at the highest level.
“Just being around that culture - it’s a historic franchise,” he said. “They practice like they want to win a championship.
You see it in their habits, in how they talk to each other. One common goal.
I learned a lot from that.”
Now, the focus shifts to Chicago - at least for the rest of the season. Simons will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his future is wide open. But when asked if he could see himself back in Boston someday, he didn’t hesitate.
“Potentially, for sure,” he said. “We’ll finish the season here first, see what happens.
But yeah - I enjoyed my time in Boston. Built great relationships.
So I could definitely see that down the line.”