<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-nets-eager-to-use-cap-space-to-facilitate-trades');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA Rumors: Nets ‘eager’ to use cap space to facilitate trades in return for draft assets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/USATSI_19122180-e1755050187964.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA Rumors: Nets ‘eager’ to use cap space to facilitate trades in return for draft assets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T08:35:58-08:00">December 12th, 8:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T08:39:03-08:00">December 12th, 8:39am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/grading-nets-michael-porter-jr-cam-johnson-trade-nuggets">Brooklyn Nets spent the offseason using their cap space</a> to add to their league-leading chest of draft picks. Their strategy hasn’t changed as the trade deadline approaches.</p><p>With an NBA-best $15.3 million in cap space remaining, the Nets are <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/lots-of-the-nbas-latest-trade-talk" rel="noopener">preparing to help more teams</a> shed unwanted contracts in return for draft assets.</p><p>“The Nets are said to be eager to use leftover salary cap space from the summer to facilitate trades by absorbing salary in the quest to accumulate more future draft assets,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote.</p><p>Brooklyn General Manager Sean Marks burned through over $40 million in cap space this summer in four separate salary dump trades.</p><h2>Nets preparing to leverage cap space in more trades ahead of deadline</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sean-Marks-ii.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Nets absorbed Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr. and Haywood Highsmith’s contracts in trades with the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. They received the No. 22 pick in the draft, which they used to select Drake Powell, as well as an unprotected 2032 first-round pick from Denver and a 2032 second-round pick from Miami.</p><p>Brooklyn also acquired Kobe Bufkin’s expiring contract from Atlanta for cash considerations, but waived the guard before the season.</p><p>Following their busy offseason, the Nets have an NBA-best 12 first-round picks and 18 second-round picks over the next seven years. With the deadline two weeks away, they remain in a position to accumulate more assets by helping teams clear their books or facilitate larger trades.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-nets-and-celtics-could-revisit-anfernee-simons-trade">The Boston Celtics are expected to shop Anfernee Simons</a> as they attempt to dip below the luxury tax. Boston and Brooklyn discussed numerous trade scenarios involving Simons this summer. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic also have unwanted contracts they could look to shed to avoid the tax.</p><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/6-trades-based-on-latest-nba-rumors-giannis-antetokounmpo-anthony-davis-ja-morant">a large portion of the NBA preparing bids for Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>, Brooklyn could be a third team in numerous frameworks to help match salary. The Utah Jazz are the NBA’s only other team with cap space, with $10.6 million available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA Rumors: Nets ‘eager’ to use cap space to facilitate trades in return for draft assets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-nets-and-celtics-could-revisit-anfernee-simons-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA Rumors: Nets and Celtics could revisit Anfernee Simons trade before deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0262.jpeg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA Rumors: Nets and Celtics could revisit Anfernee Simons trade before deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-10T07:56:52-08:00">December 10th, 7:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-10T08:04:00-08:00">December 10th, 8:04am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/buy-or-sell-latest-nba-intel-trade-rumors-ja-morant-anthony-davis-domantas-sabonis">NBA rumor mill is beginning to churn</a> with the trade deadline approaching. A recent report involving the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets could foreshadow things to come. The Celtics and Nets <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2025/11/26/title-nba-intel-ja-morant-timberwolves-kings-celtics/87477567007/" rel="noopener">discussed several trade scenarios</a> involving Anfernee Simons before the season that ultimately fell through, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.</p><p>The report shouldn’t come as a surprise, given both teams’ motivations this summer. Following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons-trade-blazers-catch">the Celtics spent their offseason slashing their monstrous payroll</a> and setting themselves up for the future. Meanwhile, the Nets focused on leveraging their league-leading cap space to accrue assets as they move forward in their rebuild.</p><p>Both sides maintain those motivations ahead of the deadline, opening the door for them to resume trade talks.</p><h2>Will Nets and Celtics partner on Anfernee Simons trade before deadline?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Egor-Demin-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this summer, the Celtics are still $12 million above the luxury tax. Ducking the tax this season and next would allow Boston to reset the repeater tax, a penalty levied on teams that were taxpayers in three of the last four seasons. Teams in the repeater get taxed at significantly higher rates the deeper they spend above the threshold, making roster-building difficult.</p><p>Given this, it’s advantageous for the Celtics to attempt to reset the repeater tax as they re-tool their roster around Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Trading Simons’ $27.7 million expiring contract is their most logical route to doing so.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-how-nets-could-be-major-player-2026-trade-deadline">The Nets can offer them the opportunity to do so</a> before the deadline. Brooklyn has a league-leading $15 million in cap space. The rebuilding squad also has four players with salaries around $6 million — Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams and Haywood Highsmith — who can be used as salary-fillers.</p><p>The Nets could send two of those players to the Celtics while taking back Simons’ contract and draft compensation.</p><p>With a glaring hole at center, Boston had interest in Sharpe this offseason, according to Scotto. However, with the Celtics only able to offer a minimum contract, Sharpe re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $12 million deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA Rumors: Nets and Celtics could revisit Anfernee Simons trade before deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-how-nets-could-be-major-player-2026-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Nets could be a major player at 2026 trade deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sean-Marks.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Nets could be a major player at 2026 trade deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T09:03:50-08:00">December 9th, 9:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T09:10:17-08:00">December 9th, 9:10am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/buy-or-sell-latest-nba-intel-trade-rumors-ja-morant-anthony-davis-domantas-sabonis">NBA trade deadline is approaching</a>, and the Brooklyn Nets are at the center of leaguewide speculation. With an NBA-high $15.2 million in cap space, the rebuilding squad could once again be a dumping ground for unwanted contracts across the league.</p><p>According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47245704/shams-pass-nba-trade-deadline-notes-news-buzz-anthony-davis-giannis-antetokounmpo-teams" rel="noopener">rival teams are eyeing Brooklyn</a> as a trade partner ahead of Feb. 5.</p><p>“The Nets have $15 million in cap space and can create more, which has led to increased trade talks about using their room to absorb salary while receiving assets,” sources told Charania. “The Nets, Pistons ($14.1 million trade exception) and Utah Jazz ($18.4 million trade exception) are the only teams with significant room that can take in larger deals and not be impacted by the apron.”</p><p>General Manager Sean Marks executed four separate salary-dump trades during the offseason. The Nets absorbed Terrance Mann’s three-year, $47 million contract in a three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics. They received the No. 22 pick in the draft alongside Mann, which they used to select Drake Powell.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/grading-nets-michael-porter-jr-cam-johnson-trade-nuggets">Brooklyn also acquired Michael Porter Jr.’s two-year, $79 million contract</a> and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets for Cam Johnson. Marks then took on Haywood Highsmith’s expiring $5.6 million contract, receiving a 2032 second-round pick in return.</p><p>The Nets capped off the offseason by acquiring Kobe Bufkin from the Hawks for cash considerations. However, they waived Bufkin before the start of the regular season.</p><h2>Why Nets could be one of NBA’s busiest teams at 2026 trade deadline</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sean-Marks-i.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Boston Celtics are a team to keep an eye on as a trade partner with the Nets. Following an active summer, the Celtics are still $12 million over the luxury tax. Anfernee Simons has been a rumored trade candidate as Boston aims to dip below the tax line and reset the repeater tax.</p><p>The Nets and Celtics <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-cam-thomas-beginning-return-play-progression-following-mri" rel="noopener">discussed several trade scenarios</a> involving Simons’ $27.7 million expiring contract this summer, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Brooklyn has four players with salaries around $6 million (Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams, Haywood Highsmith). The team could send two of those players to Boston while taking back Simons’ contract and draft compensation.</p><p>In addition to potential salary dump deals, Cam Thomas is a likely trade candidate leading up to the deadline. After failing to agree to a contract extension with Brooklyn and signing his qualifying offer, Thomas will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.</p><p>Thomas has been sidelined since Nov. 5 with a left hamstring strain, his fourth in the last year. While the fifth-year guard has a no-trade clause this season, he doesn’t appear to be a part of the Nets’ long-term plans, opening the door for the two sides to work on a trade.</p><p>“Brooklyn could also work with Cam Thomas’ agents at Octagon to navigate his future, potentially via trade, as he plays the remainder of the season on the qualifying offer and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer,” Charania wrote.</p><p>Following a 0-7 start with Thomas in the lineup, the Nets have posted a 6-10 record since his injury. Their defense has improved by 12.6 points per 100 possessions since Thomas went down.</p><p>Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. and Noah Clowney have broken out in lead offensive roles without Thomas dominating the ball. Rookies Egor Demin, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf have also shown promise with added on-ball reps.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-cam-thomas-beginning-return-play-progression-following-mri">The Nets announced on Saturday that Thomas has begun on-court work</a> and will have his status updated in two weeks. The 24-year-old will be trade eligible on Dec. 15, although he’ll have to agree to any deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Nets could be a major player at 2026 trade deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-team-scouring-trade-opportunities-but-theres-a-problem');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Boston named as intriguing team scouring for trade opportunities, but there’s a problem');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Boston-Celtics-center-Neemias-Queta-88-jumps-for-a-rebound-with-forward-Jaylen-Brown-7-and-guard-Derrick-White-9.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Boston named as intriguing team scouring for trade opportunities, but there’s a problem</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-18T06:39:59-08:00">November 18th, 6:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-18T06:39:59-08:00">November 18th, 6:39am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s still early in the NBA season, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be any trade rumors going around already. With injuries affecting teams, there’s a chance that they could be looking for deals, and there are some players that could be shopped around. The Boston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons-trade-blazers-catch">Celtics made a lot of their moves</a> during the offseason, but they are being mentioned as <a href="https://fansided.com/nba/nba-insider-trade-rumors-anthony-davis-ja-morant" rel="noopener">a team to watch out</a> for, according to NBA insider Matt Moore.</p><p>“Boston is routinely mentioned as a team that continues to canvass for opportunities. It’s tough because they aren’t willing to take on money after their cost-cutting efforts this summer, but they remain one of the more opportunistic teams,” Moore wrote.</p><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-10-word-message-celtics-trade">Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday</a>, it seemed like they may have been done with making moves. There were also talks of possibly moving Derrick White or Jaylen Brown, but there was a good chance they were never getting trade.</p><p>Outside of them, there are still some players on the roster that the may want to move, and they could still still be looking to improve their roster at the same time. One of those players is Anfernee Simons, who was a part of the Holiday deal, but it felt like they still wanted to move him to another team. So far, he’s been coming off the bench to start the season, but his minutes have flunctuated, which may be telling that head coach Joe Mazzulla hasn’t particularly bought into him.</p><p>Without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are still floating around as a mid-tier team in the Eastern Conference, and if they can add another piece or two, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they made a jump. If they did make a move, they would probably look for more frontcourt depth, specifically at center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Boston named as intriguing team scouring for trade opportunities, but there’s a problem

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-chris-haynes-believes-jayson-tatum-return-this-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Why Chris Haynes still believes Jayson Tatum will return this season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Celtics-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Why Chris Haynes still believes Jayson Tatum will return this season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T09:07:25-07:00">October 23rd, 9:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T09:07:25-07:00">October 23rd, 9:07am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Much has been made about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-promises-make-return-achilles-injury-home">Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury and his potential return</a>, with the initial expectation being that he would sit out the entire 2025-26 NBA season. However, recent updates have been more optimistic, with many expecting him to be back at some point during the campaign.</p><p>Chris Haynes is one of them, as he explained how Tatum is likely to return to play <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1981151586903642617" rel="noopener">during the regular season</a>.</p><p>“Based off of what he texted me, I think we will see him at some point during the regular season. He told me he is working out three times per week, 45-minute sessions. He said he is 23 weeks out from when he underwent surgery and he’s feeling good,” he explained on NBA TV.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I think we will see him at some point during the regular season.” 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisBHaynes</a> gives an update on Jayson Tatum’s progress on The Association. <a href="https://t.co/nRdk7a86fZ">pic.twitter.com/nRdk7a86fZ</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1981151586903642617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>However, does that mean a return during the season is likely? Haynes claimed that that is exactly what <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-wyc-grousbeck-dumps-cold-water-jayson-tatum-injury-return">the Celtics’ talisman is targeting</a>.</p><p>“He’s posted videos of him being able to explore off of that leg. So I asked him myself, ‘you really trying to come back this season?’ And basically he is like, ‘I am not putting in all this work for nothing,’” he explained.</p><p>In his absence, the Celtics have responded with a bit of a fire sale, with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis all being traded to save on luxury tax and salary. The Celtics are reported to save around $300 million due to their offseason moves.</p><p>Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will carry larger scoring and creation loads after averaging 22.2, 16.4, and 14.3 points last season. The key additions have been Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza, with Simons profiling as the only proven high-volume scorer among them.</p><p>Regardless, while Tatum may have a chance to return this season, all signs currently point to the Celtics being in no rush.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Why Chris Haynes still believes Jayson Tatum will return this season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-knicks-coaching-offer-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla shoots down Knicks coaching offer rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mazzulla-coaches.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla shoots down Knicks coaching offer rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-21T14:42:20-07:00">October 21st, 2:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-21T16:23:53-07:00">October 21st, 4:23pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday evening, the Boston Celtics will kick off their 2025-26 NBA season with a home game against the divisional rival Philadelphia 76ers. It’s been a tumultuous offseason <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-tom-thibodeau-jaylen-brown-learn-playoff-mistakes">for the Celtics</a>, who were forced to part ways with multiple key pieces, including both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and now enter this season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-adds-achilles-return-noise-dunking-video">without Jayson Tatum,</a> sidelined due to injury.</p><p>Recently, NBA reporter Marc Stein shed light on the New York Knicks’ reported interest in Joe Mazzulla as their next head coach in the wake of firing Tom Thibodeau; however, Mazzulla himself<a href="https://x.com/BrianTRobb/status/1980710368117715452" rel="noopener"> has since shot down</a> those rumors.</p><p>“That never reached me. There is only one team that I want to coach: it’s the Boston Celtics. I’m going to be here for however long ownership and the city will have me. There is no other team that I’m coaching, it’s here or I’m going to coach my kid’s soccer team or something like that,” said Mazzulla, per Brian Robb of MassLive on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Celtics fans have grown to love Joe Mazzulla over the last few years after they got off on the wrong foot in some ways back in 2022-23.</p><h2><b>A strange time for the Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Celtics-star-Jaylen-Brown-vs-Cavaliers-in-NBA-preseason.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Entering this season, not many expect the Boston Celtics to be legit contenders due to the Tatum injury as well as the trades of both Porzingis and Holiday.</p><p>While the Celtics do still employ both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, there isn’t much depth on this roster, especially in the frontcourt, as the team also recently watched Al Horford walk out the door to join the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>Mazzulla will likely have to do the best coaching job of his career to keep this Boston team above water, although the weak state of the Eastern Conference should help them out a bit as they look to stay competitive.</p><p>In any case, the Celtics and 76ers will kick off their respective seasons against one another on Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM ET from Boston.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla shoots down Knicks coaching offer rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-marc-stein-whispers-knicks-joe-mazzulla-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Marc Stein reveals ‘whispers’ of Knicks’ Joe Mazzulla interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Marc-Stein-reveals-whispers-of-Knicks-Joe-Mazzulla-interest.jpg"><figcaption>© David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Marc Stein reveals ‘whispers’ of Knicks’ Joe Mazzulla interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-21T07:49:38-07:00">October 21st, 7:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-21T07:49:38-07:00">October 21st, 7:49am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-tom-thibodeau-fired-after-ecf-loss-vs-pacers">New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau</a> earlier this year, they were swinging for the fences, so to speak, on his successor.</p><p>Although Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals berth in a quarter of a century, following a six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers, Thibodeau was relieved of his duties. That set off a flurry of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-process-replace-tom-thibodeau-shouldnt-confuse-fans">reported attempts by New York</a> to hire one of the top coaches in the NBA, including the Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla, according to insider Marc Stein.</p><p>In addition to formally requesting (and being denied the chance) to interview the Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd, Minnesota Timberwolves’ Chris Finch, Chicago Bulls’ Billy Donovan, Houston Rockets’ Ime Udoka, and Atlanta Hawks’ Quin Snyder, the Knicks considered Mazzulla, who won an NBA championship in his second year as a head coach in 2024, before settling on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-mike-brown-next-head-coach-tom-thibodeau-firing">recently fired Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown.</a></p><p>“Yet it has also been whispered that the Knicks likely did some backchannel exploration to determine if there was any pathway to pursue Boston’s Joe Mazzulla. There obviously was not … and then the Celtics extended Mazzulla’s contract in August,” Stein <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/monday-best-one-more-burst-of-around?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web" rel="noopener">wrote on his</a> newsletter, The Stein Line.</p><p>“Terms were not formally announced on Mazzulla’s new pact beyond the Celtics terming it a multiyear contract extension, but there is a belief in coaching circles the new deal is a six-year pact, along the lines of the six-year pact that current Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens initially signed to be Boston’s coach when he left the college game in July 2013.”</p><p>Mazzulla, among the youngest coaches in NBA history to win a championship, became the Celtics’ interim coach shortly before the 2022-23 season after then-Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for the entire year. Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/why-joe-mazzulla-nba-most-disrespected-head-coach-celtics-title">he was often maligned for his decision-making</a>, Boston won 57 games and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Following wins against the Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.</p><p>The following year, after having the interim label removed, Mazzulla led the Celtics to a league-best 64 wins, the No. 1 seed in the East, and a swift run through the playoffs. With 16 wins in 19 games, the Celtics made quick work of their opponents, including Kidd and the Mavericks, to win the NBA championship.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-calls-out-insufferable-knicks-fans-playoff-loss">suffering an upset to the Knicks</a> in the second round this past spring, Mazzulla, only a few years removed from frequent criticism, has been touted as one of the best coaches in the NBA.</p><p>The Celtics open the season tomorrow night vs. the 76ers before making the short trip to New York to play the Knicks on Friday. Before their matchup with the Celtics, the Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Marc Stein reveals ‘whispers’ of Knicks’ Joe Mazzulla interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/warriors-news-al-horford-sets-record-straight-retirement-rumors-dubs-revelation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Al Horford sets record straight on retirement rumors with Warriors revelation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Horford-vs-the-Warriors.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Al Horford sets record straight on retirement rumors with Warriors revelation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-01T15:01:22-07:00">October 1st, 3:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-01T15:01:22-07:00">October 1st, 3:01pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Earlier this week, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-jimmy-butler-hilarious-quip-to-al-horford-question">Golden State Warriors signed</a> veteran free agent big man <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-al-horford-message-boston-dubs-signing">Al Horford to a</a> multi-year deal ahead of his 19th NBA season. The former Boston Celtics center and 2024 NBA champion will look to add some frontcourt depth to a Warriors team that has been severely lacking in that area for several years now.</p><p>Recently, Horford spoke to the Bay Area press for the first time and <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1973491536894833087" rel="noopener">broke down why</a> he opted to leave Boston for the opportunity to sign with the Dubs.</p><p>“For me, if there was one place that I was going to leave for, it was this. Like I said earlier, it wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Boston, but if there was a place it was this one, and I happened to get this opportunity, so I jumped at it,” said Horford, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Horford figures to bring perimeter shooting to the Warriors lineup, something Golden State hasn’t had from the center position in quite some time. He’ll also bring veteran experience, although Golden State isn’t exactly lacking in that department considering their average starting lineup age of nearly 36.</p><h2><b>Can the Warriors compete?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Stephen-Curry.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Golden State Warriors enter this season hoping to stay healthy and give it one last run at a championship in the Stephen Curry era. Last year, the Warriors were unable to fulfill the first part of that statement, as Curry went down with a hamstring injury in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a series that the team ultimately lost in five games.</p><p>However, the Warriors put some of their championship metal on display in the series prior to that, knocking off an inexperienced Rockets squad that was motivated by that loss to add Kevin Durant in the offseason.</p><p>If healthy, the Warriors figure to have one of the better starting lineups in the league, but don’t have a whole lot in the way of depth or young talent, even after re-signing Jonathan Kuminga earlier this week. And of course, the health aspect is quite the caveat for a team this old.</p><p>In any case, the Warriors are set to kick off their 2025-26 season on October 21 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Al Horford sets record straight on retirement rumors with Warriors revelation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-what-boston-is-seeking-in-anfernee-simons-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: What Boston is seeking in Anfernee Simons trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Blazers-Anfernee-Simons.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: What Boston is seeking in Anfernee Simons trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T09:14:48-07:00">August 27th, 9:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T09:15:34-07:00">August 27th, 9:15am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jonathan-kuminga-josh-giddey-intel-entering-september-siegels-scoop">Boston Celtics continue to weigh their options with guard Anfernee Simons</a> as the 2025-26 NBA season approaches. According to ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel, Boston has established clear priorities should they decide to move the 26-year-old guard, though no trade appears imminent before training camp.</p><p>Simons, who was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons-trade-blazers-catch">acquired earlier this offseason from the Portland Trail Blazers</a> in exchange for Jrue Holiday and two second-round picks, is entering the final year of his contract. He is set to earn $27.6 million in 2025-26, giving Boston a sizeable expiring salary to work with if they choose to pursue additional depth.</p><p>Siegel reported that Boston’s front office has three primary goals in mind regarding a potential Simons deal.</p><p>“While it doesn’t appear as if there is a trade on the horizon involving Simons before training camp, the Celtics have been aggressive in shedding cap space and salaries this summer. Simons is the next player on the market, as the organization holds no desire to move Payton Pritchard or Sam Hauser at this time,” Siegel wrote.</p><p>“Three goals exist for the Celtics right now. Aside from remaining competitive and finding ways to further cut down on their overall tax bill, Boston wants to maintain financial flexibility. Simons is in the final year of his contract and making $27.6 million, giving the Celtics a large buffer to work with and potentially add depth to their roster during the upcoming season.”</p><p>Boston’s preference in any trade is to expand its overall depth while avoiding long-term contracts, unless the player acquired is considered a direct contributor to the team’s future outlook for 2026-27. The approach mirrors the franchise’s strategy in 2023, when they brought in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis on deals that balanced financial considerations with immediate competitiveness.</p><h2><b>Celtics balances cap savings with Anfernee Simons’ expiring contract as trade options remain open</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Celtics-still-trying-flip-Anfernee-Simons-Jrue-Holiday-trade.jpg"><figcaption>© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Celtics’ restructuring this offseason has been significant. Along with moving Holiday to Portland, the team also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">sent Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks</a>. The series of moves <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/boston-celtics-2025-26-season-predictions">reportedly saved Boston over $300 million in projected spending</a>, reducing luxury tax obligations while maintaining the flexibility to adjust the roster further.</p><p>Simons arrives in Boston with proven scoring ability, though his future with the franchise remains uncertain. Last season with Portland, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% from three across 70 appearances. His skillset offers the Celtics another perimeter scoring option, but the organization appears more focused on how his expiring contract could be leveraged in-season.</p><p>For now, Boston appears prepared to retain Simons into the start of the year, with the potential for a move later depending on the team’s needs and the market. The Celtics open their season on October 22 at TD Garden, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers with a restructured roster and without <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-insider-take-jayson-tatum-injury-status">Jayson Tatum, who is sidelined following an Achilles tear</a>.</p><p>Simons’ role will become clearer as the season unfolds, but his contract status and Boston’s financial strategy ensure he will remain a central figure in trade discussions throughout 2025-26.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: What Boston is seeking in Anfernee Simons trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-unfazed-starting-lineup-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Payton Pritchard unfazed by starting lineup rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Payton-Pritchard-and-Anfernee-Simon.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Payton Pritchard unfazed by starting lineup rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-25T14:50:17-07:00">August 25th, 2:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-25T14:50:17-07:00">August 25th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Everything is up in the air for the Boston Celtics heading into the 2025-26 regular season. And that includes the starting lineup, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatums-boston-teammate-provides-update-after-injury">Jayson Tatum is out indefinitely with an Achilles injury</a> and former starters <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-breaks-silence-jrue-holiday-kristaps-porzingis-trades">Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are no longer in Beantown</a>.</p><p>Although these offseason changes dismantled Boston’s 2024 championship core, they also gifted several players newfound opportunities. For example, Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard could be named a starter next season despite previously coming off the bench for most of his NBA career.</p><p>Pritchard, who once <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/nba-rumors-celtics-payton-pritchard-offseason-trade">requested a trade out of Boston</a> due to a lack of playing time, flourished during the 2024-25 season. He averaged career-highs in every major statistical category and earned Sixth Man of the Year honors as a result.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard, the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year!</p><p>☘️ Most 3PM in a season off the bench in NBA history (246)<br>☘️ Most PTS off the bench this season (1,079)<a href="https://twitter.com/Kia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kia</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KiaSixth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KiaSixth</a> <a href="https://t.co/wZaDQXgDOd">pic.twitter.com/wZaDQXgDOd</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1914821518246158437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Will Payton Pritchard start for the Celtics?</b></h2><p>Despite the Oregon native’s astounding year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-payton-pritchard-set-lineup-change-6moy-jrue-holiday-trade">he still isn’t guaranteed a starting role</a>. In exchange for Holiday, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/3-reasons-celtics-won-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons-trade">Celtics landed another guard, former Portland Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons</a>.</p><p>Unlike Pritchard, Simons has started every game he’s played in since the beginning of the 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old has averaged 15 points per game over the course of seven years and thrives from the 3-point line, shooting a little over 38% for his career.</p><p>Since Simons has more experience as a starter and Pritchard excels off the bench, perhaps the former is the logical choice for the opening rotation. No matter what the Celtics decide, Pritchard <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-news/120827/its-not-a-gap-year-payton-pritchard-talks-celtics-expectations-starting-chance-and-more" rel="noopener">just wants to contribute to winning</a>, per Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter to me,” Pritchard said. “For me, it’s about controlling what I can control — and that’s coming into games and changing the game, and being an unbelievable player and helping my team win. So that’s the only thing I’m focused on, ever. It’s not about accolades, it’s not about starting or anything like that. It’s about: how can I become the best player possible?”</p><p>Given Pritchard’s well-documented work ethic, this isn’t a surprising answer. The 2024 NBA champion has always been a team player who knows what it takes to win.</p><p>However, he might have to get used to losing more than usual next season. According to FanDuel, <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=regular-season-wins" rel="noopener">Vegas is betting <i>against</i></a> the Celtics winning more than 45 games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-sends-championship-message-despite-trades-jayson-tatum-injury">Tatum’s injury and the aforementioned roster shakeup</a> have a lot to do with that underwhelming projection, and it’s up to Pritchard, Simons, and the rest of the healthy C’s to prove those oddsmakers wrong.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Al Horford started smiling as soon as he heard the Sixth Man of the Year Award mentioned, as he’s confident Payton Pritchard has it:</p><p>“Instead of going for him, he's making an extra pass because it's the right thing to do…I don’t think [him winning] is any secret.” <a href="https://t.co/YxcfLNVRIG">pic.twitter.com/YxcfLNVRIG</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1914718240565035149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard unfazed by starting lineup rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/nba-rumors-nuggets-76ers-reported-anfernee-simons-trade-interest-doesnt-make-sense');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Why Nuggets, 76ers’ reported Anfernee Simons trade interest doesn’t make sense');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Simons-vs-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Why Nuggets, 76ers’ reported Anfernee Simons trade interest doesn’t make sense</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-24T11:56:23-07:00">August 24th, 11:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-24T11:56:23-07:00">August 24th, 11:56am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/3-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-the-2025-26-celtics">Boston Celtics have had arguably</a> the most eventful offseason of the summer, essentially throwing in the towel on the 2025-26 season by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, with Jayson Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles. The Celtics did get back an interesting piece from the Portland Trail Blazers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-anfernee-simons-trade-buzz-continues-latest-jazz-move">in Anfernee Simons</a>, albeit one that doesn’t necessarily fit next to Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.</p><p>This being the case, many have wondered if the Celtics would also take calls on Simons ahead of next season, and Sam Amico of hoopswire.com recently reported that both the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets have interest.</p><p>However, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints has since <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1959677476990492814" rel="noopener">broken down how</a> the financial component may make that difficult for both teams.</p><p>“The 76ers are $9.8M from the first apron, have yet to sign Quentin Grimes, and have plenty of backcourt depth they’re high on,” reported Siegel on X, formerly Twitter. “The Nuggets just cleared money this offseason for a reason and would need to trade Cam Johnson or Aaron Gordon. That’s not happening.”</p><p>Indeed, it would appear highly unlikely that the 76ers or Nuggets would have the means or motivation to acquire Simons at his current price point.</p><h2><b>A strange Celtics team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Brown-vs-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With Derrick White and Jaylen Brown still in uniform, there’s a chance the Celtics could still backdoor their way into a playoff spot next year if things break right in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>However, the 2025-26 campaign is clearly being viewed as a transitional year for a Celtics team that saw its franchise player in Jayson Tatum go down with a devastating Achilles tear in their second round playoff loss vs the New York Knicks.</p><p>It will be interesting to see how much leash head coach Joe Mazzulla gives to younger players like Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman this year, considering both have shown flashes in limited minutes up to this point.</p><p>Simons also still theoretically has some room to improve in a new system at the age of 26.</p><p>In any case, the Celtics will kick off their 2025-26 season at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Why Nuggets, 76ers’ reported Anfernee Simons trade interest doesn’t make sense

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-payton-pritchard-set-lineup-change-6moy-jrue-holiday-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Payton Pritchard set for lineup change after 6MOY, Jrue Holiday trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-guard-Payton-Pritchard-i.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Payton Pritchard set for lineup change after 6MOY, Jrue Holiday trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T07:27:45-07:00">August 14th, 7:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T07:27:45-07:00">August 14th, 7:27am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics are reportedly positioning their Sixth Man of the Year guard, Payton Pritchard, for a promotion into the starting lineup. Despite losing All-Star Jayson Tatum due to a ruptured Achilles, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-sends-championship-message-despite-trades-jayson-tatum-injury">Pritchard still has championship aspirations for 2025-26</a> heading into his sixth NBA season.</p><p>Ever since he was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Pritchard has improved facets of his game to eventually become recognized as the league’s best sixth man off the bench. Now, Pritchard has earned the <a href="https://fastbreakjournal.com/boston-celtics-payton-pritchard-start-anfernee-simons-bench-nba-news/" rel="noopener">opportunity to start</a> for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, per Fastbreak Journal’s Grant Afseth.</p><p>“The Boston Celtics appear poised to elevate Payton Pritchard into the starting lineup while using Anfernee Simons as a high-scoring option off the bench for the 2025–26 season if he remains on the roster,” Afseth reported.</p><p>Pritchard averaged 14.3 points on 47.2% shooting, including 40.7% from deep, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game last year. After the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers for Simons, many considered Anfernee to be a potential trade piece for Boston to utilize in a second trade, which never materialized.</p><p>Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens still managed to shed enough salary cap space to take Boston out of the CBA’s dreaded second luxury tax apron. Trading Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Georges Niang, who the Celtics acquired in the three-team deal that sent Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks, led the Celtics out of the second apron. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-anfernee-simons-trade-buzz-continues-latest-jazz-move">Anfernee Simons is still rumored to be traded</a>, while moving Payton into the starting 5 makes a lot of sense.</p><h2><b>Payton Pritchard sends Celtics championship message</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-guard-Payton-Pritchard-ii.jpg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While many anticipate the Celtics won’t be contending for a championship in 2025-26, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard, thinks otherwise, as he prepares for an increased role. Despite losing Jayson Tatum for the majority of the upcoming season, Pritchard doesn’t see why the Celtics won’t be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su3g66ZOxzs&amp;list=PLgWubNzoFtLELJP-pHGiJsz01QBqrGRnn&amp;index=2" rel="noopener">in a position to compete</a> for a second title in three years, he said, per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg.</p><p>“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team,” Pritchard told Forsberg. “We’re trying to win the championship. It’s not even about the playoffs. We have one standard in Boston, and it’s to win the championship. So, everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship, and we will do everything in our power to go for that. That’s what [fans] should know.”</p><p>The 2025-26 Celtics could be more competitive than fans anticipate.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Payton Pritchard set for lineup change after 6MOY, Jrue Holiday trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wnba/connecticut-sun/sun-rumors-ex-bucks-owner-matches-celtics-minority-owner-325m-franchise-bid');   ga('set', 'title', 'Sun rumors: Ex-Bucks owner matches Celtics minority owner’s $325M franchise bid');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Sun-rumors-Ex-Bucks-owner-matches-Celtics-minority-owners-325-franchise-bid.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Sun rumors: Ex-Bucks owner matches Celtics minority owner’s $325M franchise bid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-13T09:38:36-07:00">August 13th, 9:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-13T14:01:30-07:00">August 13th, 2:01pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry has <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/article/connecticut-sun-hartford-wnba-lasry-boston-houston-20811856.php" rel="noopener">reportedly matched</a>, and potentially exceeded, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/connecticut-sun/sun-news-celtics-minority-owner-update-potential-wnba-franchise-acquisition">$325 million bid made by Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca</a> to purchase the Connecticut Sun, according to CT Insider’s Alex Putterman. The development signals a significant escalation in the battle for the future of the WNBA franchise, with Connecticut now back in strong contention to retain the team.</p><p>Lasry, a Connecticut native and billionaire investor, is the founder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group. Though his firm has not responded to requests for comment, sources close to the negotiations suggest that his offer could include the use of state funds, potentially earmarked for a new practice facility to keep the team in-state.</p><p>Pagliuca, who is also a Senior Advisor for Bain Capital’s Private Equity team, had previously reached an agreement to purchase the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe for $325 million — a record figure for a women’s sports franchise — with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-minority-owner-close-to-purchasing-sun">plans to relocate the team to Boston as early as the 2027 season</a>. He also committed an additional $100 million for a new practice facility, with TD Garden considered a potential home venue. The Celtics organization reportedly had no objections to the Sun playing at the arena.</p><p>However, before any sale or relocation can be finalized, WNBA league governors must approve the transaction. The league, according to multiple reports, is hesitant to allow Boston to absorb an existing franchise, instead favoring it as a potential expansion market in 2033. In a statement, the league confirmed that cities passed over for expansion teams “have priority over Boston,” a policy that reportedly extends to Hartford as well.</p><h2><b>Ex-Bucks owner matches Celtics minority owner’s bid as Connecticut pushes to retain Sun</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Aug-10-2025-Las-Vegas-Nevada-USA-Connecticut-Sun-forward-Aneesah-Morrow-24-shoots-the-ball-against-Las-Vegas-Aces-center-Aja-Wilson-22-and-forward-Kierstan-Bell-1-during-the.jpg"><figcaption>Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The situation has drawn criticism from Connecticut officials, including Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who expressed concern over the possibility of the WNBA allowing the Sun to be moved while simultaneously blocking an expansion bid from Hartford.</p><p>“Obviously Hartford wouldn’t go for an expansion team while the Sun is still playing in Connecticut,” Arulampalam said. He likened the scenario to the NFL’s attempted relocation of the Cleveland Browns in the mid-1990s, when public backlash and legal action eventually led both Cleveland and Baltimore to receive NFL franchises.</p><p>“We’re going to try the best we can to appeal to the good graces of the league,” Arulampalam said. “But we in Connecticut are really proud of women’s basketball and don’t like being pushed around.”</p><p>The Mohegan Tribe, which has owned the Sun since 2003, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/connecticut-sun/sun-news-connecticut-officially-unveils-2026-wnba-season-plans-to-fans">announced in May that it was exploring a potential sale of the team</a>. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s office confirmed ongoing conversations and reaffirmed the state’s intent to keep the team.</p><p>As speculation continues off the court, the Sun remain focused on a difficult 2025 season. Holding a league-worst 5-26 record, the team will host the Chicago Sky (8-23) on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Sun rumors: Ex-Bucks owner matches Celtics minority owner’s $325M franchise bid

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-anfernee-simons-trade-buzz-continues-latest-jazz-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Anfernee Simons trade buzz continues after latest Jazz move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Celtics-guard-Anfernee-Simons.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Anfernee Simons trade buzz continues after latest Jazz move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-10T18:26:24-07:00">August 10th, 6:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-11T09:12:58-07:00">August 11th, 9:12am</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics’ offseason overhaul shows no signs of slowing, and the future of guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-5-best-anfernee-simons-trade-destinations">Anfernee Simons remains a central talking point</a>.</p><p>“The expectation persists, furthermore, that Boston will continue to invite trade discussion involving Anfernee Simons from now through next season’s trade deadline on Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET,” NBA reporter Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted.</p><p><a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-lots-of-fresh?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=170510781&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">Although no deal is imminent</a>, league expectations indicate that Simons could be moved before his contract expires next summer.</p><p>Simons arrived in Boston last month from Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade, part of a broader effort by the president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, to slash payroll under new ownership.</p><p>The former 24th overall pick in 2018 spent seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, averaging 15.0 points on 43.1% shooting, including 38.1% from three. Over the past three seasons, he posted 20.7 points per game and made 583 three-pointers. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% from deep.</p><p>Simons will play 2025-26 on a $27.6 million expiring deal, making him a potential one-year rental wherever he lands. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-said-injury-rehab-patriots-visit">Jayson Tatum sidelined for the entire season due to a torn Achilles</a>, Boston has shifted toward a bridge year approach, leaning on Jaylen Brown and Derrick White to keep them be competitive but not expecting a championship run.</p><p>Given Tatum, Brown, and White’s combined $145.7 million cap hit next season, re-signing Simons at a projected $20 million–25 million annually is unlikely.</p><p>Boston’s cap maneuvering has been aggressive. Earlier this offseason, they traded Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and Holiday to Portland, saving over $250 million in salary and luxury tax payments.</p><p>Most recently, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-real-reason-boston-traded-georges-niang-jazz">the Celtics dealt Georges Niang</a> and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr. on a two-way contract. The Niang move alone cut nearly $43 million from the tax bill, reducing it from $540 million on June 15 to $239 million as of August 5. The Celtics can drop below the tax line entirely by shedding another $12 million in salary.</p><p>While the Niang trade was purely financial, it also showed Boston’s willingness to adjust its roster throughout the season. The team could retain Simons for the season to evaluate playoff prospects before deciding on a trade. Even if he finishes the year in Boston, a sign-and-trade could prevent the team from losing him for nothing in free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Anfernee Simons trade buzz continues after latest Jazz move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-when-6-1-billion-franchise-sale-is-expected-to-close');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: When $6.1 billion franchise sale is expected to close');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jayson-Tatum.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: When $6.1 billion franchise sale is expected to close</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-08T08:49:13-07:00">August 8th, 8:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-08T08:49:13-07:00">August 8th, 8:49am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-new-owner-breaks-silence-on-6-1-billion-franchise-purchase">Boston Celtics’ record-setting $6.1 billion sale</a> to William Chisholm is <a href="https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/boston-celtics-sale-close-date-1234866256/" rel="noopener">expected to close late next week</a> or early the following week, according to a recent report by Sportico. Three people familiar with the details, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said the deal is nearing its final stage.</p><p>The transaction still requires approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors, which is composed of the league’s 30 team owners. The vote can be conducted remotely and does not require a formal meeting.</p><p>In March, Chisholm’s group reached an agreement to purchase the Celtics in two stages, aligning with the ownership transition plan set by the Grousbeck family. The first payment <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-co-owner-sounds-off-on-failed-purchase-attempt">valued the franchise at $6.1 billion, setting a record</a> for the most expensive control sale in sports history at the time. That surpassed the $6.05 billion paid by Josh Harris for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023 and topped the NBA’s previous record set by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-phoenix-on-verge-of-4-billion-sale-mat-ishbia-robert-sarver-saga">Mat Ishbia’s $4 billion purchase of the Phoenix Suns</a> in 2022. In June, Mark Walter reached an agreement to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-when-10-billion-sale-is-expected-to-close">purchase the Los Angeles Lakers at a $10 billion valuation</a>, which now stands as the largest franchise valuation in NBA history.</p><p>The Grousbeck-led group originally bought the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million. Last July, less than two weeks after the team captured its NBA-record 18th championship, the group announced the franchise was for sale. Estate planning within the Grousbeck family was cited as the primary reason.</p><h2><b>William Chisholm set to lead Celtics ownership group as team restructures roster and payroll</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Rockets-news-Houston-adds-ex-Celtics-guard-amid-quiet-NBA-Saturday-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Chisholm, co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm STG Partners, will be the Celtics’ lead investor and take over as NBA governor from Wyc Grousbeck after the 2027-28 season. Aditya Mittal will serve as the second-largest stakeholder and may become the alternate governor in the future. Mittal is the son of Lakshmi Mittal, executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel and mining company by revenue.</p><p>Private equity firm Sixth Street will also hold a significant stake in the Celtics. The firm, which already owns a share of the San Antonio Spurs, will remain within the NBA’s 20% ownership cap for a single private equity firm.</p><p>BDT &amp; MSD Partners and JPMorgan Chase co-led the Celtics’ sale process. The NBA, along with both financial firms, declined to comment on the exact timing of the closing.</p><p>While the sale nears completion, the Celtics are preparing for the 2025-26 season with roster and payroll adjustments. Star forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-said-injury-rehab-patriots-visit">Jayson Tatum continues to recover from a torn Achilles</a> suffered during the team’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/boston-celtics-most-to-blame-for-playoff-series-loss-to-knicks">second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks</a>.</p><p>Boston has significantly reduced its payroll from $540 million in June to $239 million following several key trades. The team dealt <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers</a> in exchange for Anfernee Simons, sent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks for Georges Niang</a> and a second-round pick, and later packaged Niang with two second-round picks to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-real-reason-boston-traded-georges-niang-jazz">acquire RJ Luis Jr from the Utah Jazz</a>. The moves created enough financial flexibility for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-grades-georges-niang-trade-chris-boucher-signing">Celtics to sign Chris Boucher</a> to a one-year, $3.3 million contract on Monday, keeping them under the NBA’s second-apron tax threshold.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: When $6.1 billion franchise sale is expected to close

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-ben-simmons-knicks-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Ben Simmons’ expected decision amid Knicks, Celtics interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Los-Angeles-Clippers-forward-Ben-Simmons.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Ben Simmons’ expected decision amid Knicks, Celtics interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-05T16:58:10-07:00">August 5th, 4:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-06T07:45:42-07:00">August 6th, 7:45am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA veteran Ben Simmons is looking at what is next as an unrestricted free agent. At this point, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-rumors-new-york-has-strong-interest-in-ben-simmons" rel="noopener">New York Knicks are expressing interest in snatching him up</a>. </p><p>Among the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-suns-celtics-added-list-ben-simmons-suitors" rel="noopener">teams expressing interest in Simmons</a> are the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns. At this point, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/siegels-scoop-jonathan-kuminga-standoff-warriors-final-stages" rel="noopener">the Knicks and Celtics have the greater interest in Simmons</a>, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. </p><p>Reportedly, Simmons is expected to narrow his decision sometime soon. Furthermore, Siegel believes that Simmons will likely end up with the Knicks. </p><p>Simmons is 29 years old and still has productive years ahead of him. Although his skills have diminished due to injuries and a back problem, he has played for the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers.</p><p>Last year, Simmons averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while playing in 51 total games. </p><p>Since 2016, Simmons has become a recognizable presence in the NBA after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2018, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. Simmons was an NBA All-Star in 2019, 2020, and 2021. </p><h2><b>Ben Simmons and his potential with the Knicks</b></h2><p>At first glance, the thought of Simmons joining the New York Knicks may seem perplexing to some, considering the vulnerabilities he brings. Nevertheless, he also possesses a particular skill set that could be beneficial to Coach Mike Brown.</p><p>After all, Brown emphasizes the importance of defense, which is where Simmons can step up and contribute. In addition, the Knicks are loaded with talent coming off an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk7K5BIUJuo" rel="noopener">appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals</a>. </p><p>They have a solid core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Josh Hart. From a name standpoint, Simmons can fit right in. However, there may be limited opportunities for Simmons to get the ball due to being prone to injuries, as well as wanting to get the most out of these key players. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Ben Simmons’ expected decision amid Knicks, Celtics interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-summer-league-star-charles-bassey-nba-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Summer League star wants to sign NBA contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Charles-Bassey.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Summer League star wants to sign NBA contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-03T10:05:48-07:00">August 3rd, 10:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-03T10:05:48-07:00">August 3rd, 10:05am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Charles Bassey has never averaged more than 5.7 points per game in the NBA, but believes he proved his potential on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/undrafted-celtics-2025-summer-league-player">Boston Celtics’ 2025 Summer League roster</a>. The team still has a vacant roster spot with one month until training camps, and Bassey believes he should be a frontrunner.</p><p>Despite receiving significant interest from Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian League, Bassey <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/8/2/24479182/boston-celtics-charles-summer-league-overseas-deal" rel="noopener">intends to play for</a> the Celtics in the 2025-2026 season, according to Noa Dalzell of SB Nation. Boston recently opened up a roster spot by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-boston-waives-nba-g-league-mvp">releasing former G-League MVP JD Davison</a> in July.</p><p>Bassey was a late signing of the Celtics’ Summer League team but was arguably their best player in Las Vegas. Despite former draft picks Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman receiving all the attention, Bassey dominated with 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.3 minutes per game. He entered most games off the bench behind 2025 second-round pick Amari Williams, but was easily the team’s most impactful player on the court.</p><p>After beginning his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Bassey has spent the last three years with the San Antonio Spurs. He has just three starts in his four-year career, but has spent the entirety of it behind elite centers Joel Embiid and Victor Wembanyama. Should he join the Celtics, Bassey would undeniably have his biggest opportunity to make a legitimate impact.</p><h2><b>Celtics need another center like Charles Bassey on roster</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Joe-Mazzulla_11cb70.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-atlanta-acquiring-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-celtics-nets">trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks</a> and letting Al Horford walk in free agency, the Celtics could use another center. Their frontcourt rotation currently consists of Williams, Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman and Georges Niang. Williams, Queeta and Tillman are all in contention to begin the year in the starting lineup.</p><p>The Celtics’ 2025-2026 season is somewhat up in the air with star forward Jayson Tatum slated to miss the entire year with a torn Achilles suffered in the playoffs. While 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and 2025 Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard are still suitable leaders, the general expectation is for Boston to take a rebuilding year. Should that be the case, the door is wide open for players like Bassey, Williams and Queeta to establish themselves in the league.</p><p>The Celtics will begin training camp on Oct. 1, one week before their preseason opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will have three weeks from that point to finalize their regular season roster, which the league requires by Oct. 21.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Summer League star wants to sign NBA contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-why-celtics-grizzlies-trade-talks-fizzled-out');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Why Celtics, Grizzlies trade talks fizzled out');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Celtics-Grizzlies.jpg"><figcaption>© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Why Celtics, Grizzlies trade talks fizzled out</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T13:57:40-07:00">July 21st, 1:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T15:09:32-07:00">July 21st, 3:09pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Memphis Grizzlies and the Boston Celtics have been two of the most active teams this offseason, both making big trades that will swing the direction of their franchises.</p><p>The Grizzlies got things started, responding to a first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/grizzlies-news-gm-admits-desmond-bane-trade-great-magic">trading star scorer Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic</a>. Shortly after that, the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in separate deals as they try to avoid second-apron penalties.</p><p>As it turns out, the Celtics and the Grizzlies were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/siegels-scoop-nba-intel-chris-paul-bradley-beal-marcus-smart-deals">trying to make another trade</a> with one another, but it fell through as Boston fell out of the Damian Lillard sweepstakes according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“On the third day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the latest chatter and intel about the Celtics linked them to a potential trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources said. In the midst of scrambling for details, it became clear that these talks were around before Summer League, and nothing ever materialized.</p><p>“Boston had been seeking potential paths to free up extra money given their ties to Damian Lillard. When it became clear that the Celtics were out of the running for Lillard, the organization backed off on trade talks with Memphis, sources said.”</p><p>A deal between the Celtics and the Grizzlies surely would not have been as consequential as the deals that the two teams made separately earlier in the offseason, but it still would have been fascinating to see the two sides continue to shuffle the pieces around.</p><p>The Grizzlies shook things up this offseason as it became clear to them that they would not be able to compete in the Western Conference with the core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bane. Moving off of one of them was the only way for Memphis to pivot, and Bane ended up being the odd man out.</p><p>For the Celtics, they are clearly looking ahead to the 2026-27 season already as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-brad-stevens-best-thing-jayson-tatum-next-step">Jayson Tatum recovers from his torn Achilles</a> that will keep him out for the entire 2025-26 season. While both teams have already made big moves this offseason, talks like these are indicators that more may be around the corner.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Why Celtics, Grizzlies trade talks fizzled out

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-still-flip-anfernee-simons-jrue-holiday-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Boston still trying to flip Anfernee Simons after Jrue Holiday trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Celtics-still-trying-flip-Anfernee-Simons-Jrue-Holiday-trade.jpg"><figcaption>© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Boston still trying to flip Anfernee Simons after Jrue Holiday trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T09:24:10-07:00">July 21st, 9:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T09:24:10-07:00">July 21st, 9:24am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite statements to the contrary,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics"> the Boston Celtics</a> are reportedly eager to trade Anfernee Simons.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-pulls-off-stunning-jrue-holiday-trade-blazers-anfernee-simons">Celtics acquired Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers</a> as part of a deal to offload Jrue Holiday, who, coincidentally, Boston initially acquired from Portland two years ago. And while Simons, a talented 26-year-old combo guard, would seem like a good fit for the Celtics, the team <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-the-latest-hottest-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=168821876&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">is eyeing some kind</a> of trade this offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>“League sources say Boston continues to explore its trade options with newly acquired Anfernee Simons, who became a Celtic as part of the trade that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland,” Stein wrote for ‘The Stein Line’ newsletter.</p><p>“The Stein Line reported on June 28 that Simons was a re-trade candidate and it is believed that is still the case.”</p><p>This report, and several other previously, contradicts some of the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-brad-stevens-anfernee-simons-remarks-trade-rumors-question"> remarks recently made by Celtics president Brad Stevens</a>.</p><p>“The whole goal of being in my position in Boston or playing in Boston, or coaching in Boston, is to compete for championships. And that’s what you always want to be and that’s ultimately going to be our north star as we again retool this thing,” Stevens said after praising Simons, who he called “one of the best shooters” and “one of the best tough shot makers” in the NBA.</p><p>Of course, it would fly in the face of logic for Stevens, as the president and de facto general manager of the Celtics, to publicly criticize Simons or announce he is available for a trade. If Boston is truly trying to move Simons, it is almost a certainty Stevens has made that abundantly clear in private conversations with other front offices.</p><p>Simons, who just turned 26 a month ago, had been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-trade-proposal-anfernee-simons-celtics">connected to the Orlando Magic</a> before the offseason truly began. A native of Longwood, Florida, Simons spent most of his life in Central Florida before being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 24th overall pick in the 2018 draft.</p><p>With Portland, Simons averaged 15 points and 3 assists per game (numbers largely deflated by his first three years in the league). Over the past four seasons, as a regular starter, Simons averaged 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 38% from 3-point range and 90% on free throws.</p><p>Notably, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/players/ae7c0944/anfernee-simons/contract">Simons is set to enter the final year of his contract</a> this coming season; he will make $27.7 million before, provided he does not sign an extension before then, becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Boston still trying to flip Anfernee Simons after Jrue Holiday trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-suns-celtics-added-list-ben-simmons-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Suns, Celtics added to list of Ben Simmons suitors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Clippers-guard-Ben-Simmons.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Suns, Celtics added to list of Ben Simmons suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T06:45:02-07:00">July 21st, 6:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T06:45:02-07:00">July 21st, 6:45am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He received his Masters in Business Administration Bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Nichols College. Previously, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided, Basketball Network, Athlon Sports, and The Sporting News. In addition to his work at ClutchPoints, Owen is also a Breaking News Writer at Heavy and a Content Producer for More Views Media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The majority of the big moves of the NBA offseason have already been made, but there is still a solid crop of players available in free agency who could help out playoff-contending teams. One of those names is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-sign-ben-simmons-someone-else-final-roster-spot">Ben Simmons</a>, and while his stock has taken some serious hits in recent seasons, he’s seen the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics emerge as the two most recent teams with interest in him.</p><p>Simmons put himself back on the map last season by suiting up for 51 games with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-rumors-new-york-checks-in-with-ben-simmons">New York Knicks</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-ben-simmons-named-potential-sacramento-free-agent-target">Sacramento Kings</a> checked in on him earlier this offseason, it now sounds like the Suns are the <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-the-latest-hottest-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=168821876&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">latest team</a> to take a look at him, with the Celtics also doing their due diligence on the three-time All-Star.</p><p>“League sources say that the Suns have also had some recent dialogue with former All-Star Ben Simmons, who I’m told has drawn interest since free agency began from Boston, New York and Sacramento,” Marc Stein reported.</p><h2><b>Ben Simmons continuing to draw interest in free agency</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Ben-Simmons-looks-on.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Simmons isn’t the same player who was one of the top two-way guards in the league back at the start of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, but he still has something to offer in the right role for a contending team. Last season, Simmons averaged five points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game, while also still playing lockdown defense on the perimeter.</p><p>Considering his upside, it’s not a shock to see Simmons generating interest, but there are reasonable injury concerns surrounding him, even though he managed to play in 50-plus games last season. With the Suns and Celtics joining the race for Simmons’ signature, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him latch on with a new team in the near future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Boston
Celtics RUMORS

BOSTON

CELTICS

BostonCeltics RUMORS

BOSTON

CELTICS

Boston
Celtics RUMORS