Anfernee Simons teases potential Celtics return after Bulls trade

Anfernee Simons was a key contributor coming off the bench for Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics. Although he had been a starter his entire career, Simons was willing to sacrifice his role to help make the Celtics true contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately for the team and the 26-year-old guard, he was a casualty of the Celtics’ cap problems. As a result of being in the final year of his contract, Simons ended up being moved by Boston at the trade deadline to the Chicago Bulls for veteran center Nikola Vucevic.

Not only did such a move lessen the Celtics’ tax burden, but it also addressed a key need in their frontcourt, making a real championship push this season possible. Simons will now finish out the 2025-26 season on a team with no direction or path to the playoffs before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Could that mean that Simons will seriously entertain the thought of returning to Boston in the near future?

“For sure. Obviously got to finish our season here first and then see what happens there. But, you know, for sure down the line,” Simons told reporters before the Celtics defeated the Bulls 124-105 on Wednesday night, via CLNS Media. “Like I said, I enjoyed my time here and built great relationships here. And so, yeah, I see it for sure.”

In his return to Boston since being traded to the Bulls, Simons scored just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor in 28 minutes. He has started in all four games he’s played for Chicago since the trade deadline deal.

What the future holds for Simons this upcoming offseason is uncertain. In a weaker free agent market, Simons will stand out as one of the better, established young backcourt talents, but many teams won’t have the ability to offer him a long-term, high-paying contract in the summer.

That is why it’s realistic to believe Simons could opt to return to the Celtics on a team-friendly deal, especially since he was valued by the organization and embraced his role as their sixth man off the bench.

It will be interesting to see what level of interest Simons can generate across the league entering the offseason.

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