Celtics trade grades for Nikola Vucevic-Anfernee Simons deal with Bulls

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Celtics trade grades for Nikola Vucevic-Anfernee Simons deal with Bulls

Daniel Donabedian, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Feb 4, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Celtics trade grades for Nikola Vucevic-Anfernee Simons deal with Bulls appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Instead of dipping their toes into the trade waters ahead of the Feb. 5th trade deadline , the Boston Celtics dove head first, agreeing to deal guard Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for veteran center Nikola Vucevic .

Boston also received the Denver Nuggets ' 2027 second-round pick in the Tuesday night swap while the Bulls earned the most favorable 2026 second-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves , New Orleans Pelicans , New York Knicks , or Portland Trail Blazers , per Keith Smith of Spotrac.

While the trade can't be official yet, the Celtics announced that Simons will sit due to personal reasons on Tuesday night when the Green Team faces the Dallas Mavericks on the road. But before that 2024 NBA Finals rematch concludes, let's evaluate this significant trade and grade it for the Celtics.

Grading the Celtics' Anfernee Simons -Nikola Vucevic swap

Vucevic has been in trade rumors for years now, so it's no surprise that he was finally moved. In fact, the Bulls attempted to ship him to Beantown for Simons and a first-round pick weeks ago, however, that price was too high for the C's, league sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

A deal still got done, though, and the Celtics have plenty of upside to consider.

First of all, this trade makes Boston a lot more financially flexible, which was a major goal for Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens .

"I think the biggest thing is there clearly is a need to prioritize regaining our flexibility and maximizing, from an asset standpoint, what we can," Stevens said in a press conference back in June.

By trading 2024 NBA champions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis , losing centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency, and recently trading Simons, the Celtics are now below the first apron. That means they can increase payroll in future trades, sign players on the buyout market, and get one step closer to ducking under the tax.

While Boston is still $5.9 million above that all-important tax line, it's come a long way from when it was severely over the second apron this summer and suffering restrictive tax penalties as a result.

Furthermore, the Celtics generated a Traded Player Exception (TPE) of almost $28 million from this deal. That could prove useful next year when the C's hopefully have star forward Jayson Tatum back and healthy (if he doesn't return before then).

The financial situation continues to look promising when reviewing the contracts of Vucevic and Simons. The former will make around $21 million this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. In comparison, Simons is set to take home about $27 million before also joining unrestricted free agency next season.

An expiring deal works for the Celtics. Vucevic is 35 years old and, although Boston needs big men depth, it doesn't want to be stuck with an aging, expensive player if things don't work out.

The two-time All-Star is currently averaging 16.9 points per game — his fewest in almost a decade — while shooting an impressive 50.5% from the floor and 37.6% from 3-point land. Vucevic's ability to shoot from deep and stretch the floor is vital to the Celtics' system and despite the fact that he's no longer in his prime, the former USC Trojan still managed to provide the mediocre Bulls with reliable production while having his name thrown around in trade talks.

Vucevic will round out a solid Celtics frontcourt highlighted by fellow centers Neemias Queta and Luka Garza . More than halfway through the regular season, Queta and Garza have held their own at the five spot. However, improving at the position was a necessity for the Celtics and it became especially apparent whenever one of their aforementioned bigs were in foul trouble.

"That will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper, on what they've done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position," Stevens said of his centers before the season. "But it's up to them to prove it otherwise."

What are the cons for the Celtics in this trade?

Big man advancements aside, the Celtics just got a little weaker at guard. After a shaky start in October and November, Simons developed into a potential candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, averaging over 14 points per outing while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc.

He accepted coming off the bench with grace and, like Vucevic, was tough enough mentally to play through constant trade rumors. Finding another microwave scorer like that will be hard for the Celtics, especially since Simons is only 26 years old and clearly capable of more.

Losing his talent and youth is the most consequential downside of this trade for Boston. Yet, maybe that scoring void left by Simons' departure is filled by Tatum, who still hasn't been officially ruled out for the season .

That could soften the blow of dealing Simons, or perhaps another leap from reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard will account for that.

Regardless, not being able to re-sign Simons in the offseason is a notable negative. Vucevic isn't as enticing of an extension candidate, but he could capture one if he serves the Celtics well as a potential starting center at present and, most importantly, in the postseason.

Vucevic and Simons have never achieved much in their playoff careers, so they'll both aim to change that in April if the Celtics, who sit in third in the Eastern Conference, and Bulls, who sit in Play-In position, can prolong their seasons.

Before any playoff talk, there will be an intriguing regular season battle between the Celtics and Bulls on Feb. 11 at TD Garden. If these trades are eventually finalized, the NBA world may get a chance to see the early returns from the deal in action.

Final grade: B+

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