The Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls have finalized a trade that sends guard Anfernee Simons to Chicago and veteran center Nikola Vucevic to Boston, with both teams also picking up a second-round pick in the deal. While the exact details of the picks haven’t been disclosed yet, the Bulls are expected to receive the more favorable selection - a likely trade-off considering the Celtics are getting some serious luxury tax relief in the process.
This move checks a lot of boxes for Boston. The Celtics came into the season with some real questions in the frontcourt after parting ways with Kristaps Porzingis via trade and watching both Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk in free agency. That left a noticeable gap up front, and while they’ve managed to stay competitive - currently sitting at 31-18 and in the hunt for a top-two seed in the East - the need for more size and versatility in the rotation has lingered.
Enter Vucevic. At 35, he’s not the same All-Star force he once was, but he remains a highly skilled big man who can space the floor and pass out of the post.
He’s averaging 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season, while knocking down 37.6% of his threes - numbers that speak to his continued ability to impact the game offensively. And with his $21.5 million contract expiring after this season, Boston gets both a short-term boost and long-term flexibility.
Financially, the deal is a win for the Celtics. By swapping Simons’ $27.7 million expiring deal for Vucevic’s smaller number, Boston trims its projected luxury tax bill by more than $22 million - from $39.5 million down to $17 million. That also brings them under the first tax apron, which opens up more breathing room for potential moves down the line.
From a roster-building standpoint, this also gives Boston some interesting tools. They can absorb Vucevic into the $22.5 million traded player exception (TPE) they created in the Porzingis deal last summer.
That would allow them to generate a new TPE worth Simons’ outgoing salary - a $27.8 million chip they’d have up to a year to use. That’s a valuable asset for a front office that’s proven savvy in navigating the cap.
But this wasn’t an easy call for Boston. Simons had emerged as a real contributor off the bench, averaging 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game.
He was shooting the ball efficiently too - 39.5% from three and nearly 89% from the line. He gave the Celtics scoring punch and floor spacing in the second unit, and letting him go means sacrificing some backcourt depth in the short term.
Still, Brad Stevens and the Celtics brass clearly saw the bigger picture. With the postseason looming and the East as competitive as ever, bolstering the frontcourt with a proven veteran like Vucevic - while also improving their financial and roster flexibility - was a move they were willing to make.
On the Bulls’ side, the trade signals a shift - and maybe the end of a chapter. Vucevic was the centerpiece of Arturas Karnisovas’ first big swing as Chicago’s executive VP of basketball operations back in 2021.
That deal sent out Wendell Carter Jr. and multiple first-round picks, one of which turned into Franz Wagner. Over 378 games in a Bulls uniform, Vucevic averaged 18.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting nearly 50% from the field.
Now, the Bulls pivot. Simons gives them a younger guard with scoring upside, but it’s unclear if he’s a long-term piece or simply part of a broader reshuffling. Chicago’s backcourt is suddenly crowded - Simons joins Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones, along with Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley, who are coming in via a separate three-team deal involving Detroit and Minnesota.
Conley looks like a prime buyout candidate, but even with him potentially out of the picture, the Bulls have more guards than minutes to go around. That likely means more moves are coming, with at least one - and maybe more - of White, Dosunmu, or Jones potentially on the move before the trade deadline.
Bottom line: this trade gives Boston a much-needed frontcourt boost and some serious financial flexibility, while Chicago adds a dynamic guard and resets its rotation. For both teams, it’s a move that reflects not just where they are now, but where they’re trying to go.