DALLAS — On the court, Anfernee Simons is a bucket. A constant threat to catch fire from beyond the three-point line. And thanks to tireless work, his defense rapidly improved, too.
But sometimes, business has to be business.
Vucevic will provide them with an extra body in the frontcourt, but perhaps the most notable upside for Boston is the financial flexibility. The move puts them below the first apron, which opens up a lot more opportunities for them to improve this summer.
Still, the Celtics didn’t just lose Simons’ three-point shooting. They didn’t just lose his defense, his ball-handling, or his playmaking. They lost the person.
“First of all, he’s just an awesome dude,” Luka Garza told BostonSportsJournal.com before tip-off in Dallas on Tuesday night. “Just a high-character guy who showed up and put his work in every day.
“I think, on the floor, was a guy that I really enjoyed playing with. Obviously, setting screens for him, getting him open, just kind of letting him work and just seeing what he can do, especially on the offensive end. So, it was a lot of fun in our time together. And he’s just a great dude. I wish him all the best.”
When Simons joined the Celtics, uncertainty followed. He was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday deal this past summer, but speculation ran rampant regarding if Boston would move him before the start of the year.
They didn’t. And there were some bumps along the road.
Defensively, Simons didn’t fit in at first. He needed time to adapt. But once he found a rhythm, largely thanks to his work with assistant coach Ross McMains, he carved out a consistent place in the every-night rotation.
The Celtics made Simons feel at home in Boston.
“The community has been very welcoming of me, and everybody’s been trying to do their best to make me feel comfortable in this community,” Simons said at the Celtics’ ‘Fit for a Cause’ launch event on January 29. “I’ve been feeling very comfortable. Like I said before, it feels like I’ve been here longer than I actually have been here. And so, it’s just a family-type organization, and it feels very comforting when you come into a new situation, and everybody’s wrapping their arms around you and making you feel welcome.
Now, those same now-former teammates who made Simons feel at home are sad to see him go.
“Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me,” Jaylen Brown said post-game on Tuesday. “It’s a business, but there’s a human aspect to it. And since he’s been here, he’s contributed to winning. He’s won us some games. He’s just a great, great person, great kid, on and off the floor. Just humble. I hope he gets everything that he’s looking for. Just because he just fit right in with his group of guys in our locker room.
“He could have had different thoughts, and thought differently, and his energy could have been different. Man, he was a great teammate and did everything he needed to do, that we asked him, and more, and contributed to winning. So, Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me, and I hope he gets everything he deserves.”
Boston is used to losing teammates at this point. This past summer prepared them for that. Obviously, the Holiday trade brought Simons to Boston, but that wasn’t their only move.
Unfortunately, teammates leaving never gets easier.
“I love Ant,” said Payton Pritchard. “When you build a bond with teammates, it’s tough to see them leave. The Al Horford, the Jrue Holiday, Luke [Kornet], KP [Kristaps Porzingis], now Anfernee. You definitely miss them.”
But when they come back as an opponent, that love has to be pushed to the side.
“It’s part of the part of the business, so you wish him well, and then, when you see him, you gotta go at him,” Pritchard said.
Simons joins a packed guard room in Chicago. Josh Giddey, Coby White, Tre Jones, and Ayo Dosunmu were already in place, and they added Mike Conley and Jaden Ivey in an earlier trade on Tuesday afternoon. (Reports have indicated that Conley, at the very least, won’t stick around in Chicago.)
Meanwhile, Vucevic will give Joe Mazzulla a new option to pair alongside Garza and current starter Neemias Queta. And in a center room where screening is king, Vucevic should have a chance to fit right in.
“It’s huge, because it’s just kind of how we create advantages based on
