The Portland Path Blazers have ended Anfernee Simons’ seven-year run with the franchise by buying and selling him to the Boston Celtics for Jrue Vacation, an NBA supply has confirmed to The Oregonian/Oregon Dwell.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the information.
The commerce can’t formally be accomplished till July. The NBA draft begins Wednesday night time. The free company interval begins June 30, however contracts can’t be signed till July 6.
Simons, 26, averaged 19.3 factors and 4.8 assists final season whereas struggling to adapt to being the start line guard.
His days with the Blazers appeared numbered when, in 2023, Portland chosen level guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 decide within the draft.
That transfer led celebrity Damian Lillard to request a commerce. He was despatched to Milwaukee for Vacation. Quickly after, the Blazers traded Vacation to Boston for Brogdon, Robert Williams III and picks.
Now Vacation, 35, returns to the Blazers for Simons and two second-round picks.
Ought to the Blazers hold Vacation, a two-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive performer, he would match properly at level guard with Henderson coming off the bench.
Nonetheless, the Blazers need to proceed enjoying quick, a method that higher fits Henderson.
On the identical time, coach Chauncey Billups has sought to enhance the crew’s protection since arriving in 2021. Vacation is considered among the finest defensive guards within the NBA.
It’s additionally doable the Blazers may begin Henderson at level guard and use Vacation at taking pictures guard, then convey Shaedon Sharpe off the bench.
Vacation averaged 11.1 factors and three.9 assists final season, taking pictures 44.3% from the sphere and 35.3% from three-point vary.
Vacation may finally get traded to a contender as he was when the Blazers acquired him in 2023.
As for Simons, he goes from a dropping scenario to a successful one with the Celtics, who received the NBA title in 2024 however fell brief this season, falling within the second spherical after star Jayson Tatum injured his Achilles tendon in Sport 4 of an Japanese Convention semifinals loss to the New York Knicks.
Even with Vacation gone, the Celtics boast a powerful backcourt with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, who was named Sixth Man of the Yr.
It’s unclear if Simons, who has one 12 months remaining on his contract price $27.7 million, will begin for the Celtics.
Vacation has two assured years and a participant possibility remaining. He’ll make $32.4 million subsequent season.
With Portland, Simons shined at occasions however by no means actually discovered his footing.
Former common supervisor Neil Olshey chosen Simons with the twenty fourth decide within the 2018 draft out of IMG Academy in Florida. Simons was the ultimate participant from the Olshey period remaining on the roster.
The 6-foot-3 guard spent the primary three seasons of his profession as a backup, making simply 5 begins in 154 appearances.
In 2021-22, accidents to Lillard and guard CJ McCollum led to Simons beginning 30 video games. He averaged 17.3 factors and three.9 assists per outing.
Anfernee Simons #1 of the Portland Path Blazers seems on throughout the first half of a sport in opposition to the Boston Celtics on the Moda Heart on March 23, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photograph by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Pictures)Getty Pictures
Common supervisor Joe Cronin, who took over for the fired Olshey in December 2021, traded McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans close to the 2022 commerce deadline, partly to “clear a runway” for Simons.
Simons, from Jan. 3 (after Lillard underwent season-ending core muscle surgical procedure) till he was shut down for the season on March 6, averaged 23.4 factors and 5.8 assists per sport.
That exhibiting seemingly opened the door for Simons to turn into a big piece of the crew’s future.
However the next season, he considerably struggled beginning subsequent to Lillard. In 2023-24, with Lillard gone, Simons received a beginning job however broke his thumb within the opener. He missed 18 video games, returned and performed nicely for a couple of weeks earlier than an sickness set him again.
Simons ended up enjoying simply 46 video games, averaging 22.6 factors per night time.
Final season, whereas making an attempt to regulate to being the crew’s full-time level guard, Simons noticed his offense battle.
“It’s the hardest season I’ve had, simply mentally,” Simons mentioned on the finish of the season. “Simply adjusting to every part that was being thrown at me.”
That included adapting to enjoying in a extra fast-paced system as a substitute of the half-court units he was used to working inside to get open.
“When you’ve been used to enjoying sort of a half-court offense your first six years within the league, it’s sort of exhausting to regulate,” Simons mentioned. “As a result of that’s how I realized the NBA sport was via operating units. So, that was fairly exhausting for me. However I really feel like I figured it out sort of halfway via the season.”
Simons ought to really feel proper at residence in Boston. The Celtics led the NBA in three-point makes an attempt per sport (48.2). Portland ranked 14th (37.7).
With the Celtics, Simons may see time at each level guard and taking pictures guard and have the liberty to launch threes in an offense that’s seemingly higher fitted to his skillset.
Plus, he could have an opportunity to win. Throughout the Blazers’ rebuilding part, Simons made it clear that dropping typically obtained to him. The Blazers made the playoffs throughout his first three seasons however have missed the postseason the final 4.
The Blazers may solely be getting began on the commerce entrance. A want throughout the franchise exists to commerce ahead Jerami Grant and heart Deandre Ayton, if the appropriate offers current themselves.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Fb)
