<!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/nba-stories/bucks-trade-proposal-lands-anfernee-simons-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bucks trade proposal lands Anfernee Simons from Celtics');   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/2025/11/Bucks-trade-proposal-lands-Anfernee-Simons-from-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks trade proposal lands Anfernee Simons from Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-27T16:40:42-08:00">November 27th, 4:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-27T16:40:42-08:00">November 27th, 4:40pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-promises-make-return-achilles-injury-home"> Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles</a>, the Boston Celtics decided to use this year as a time to get their finances in check. They still plan on contending long-term, but ahead of this gap year, the team traded away some of their more expensive players. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Kristaps Porzingis was dealt</a>, as was Jrue Holiday. The latter was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that brought in Anfernee Simons</a>.</p><p>The guard has been solid for Boston, but it has long been anticipated that the Celtics might flip him and his expiring contract for capital that can help next year and beyond. One team with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/nba-rumors-bucks-due-diligence-zach-lavine-trade-kyle-kuzma-twist">reported interest is the Milwaukee Bucks,</a> and they <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2025/11/26/title-nba-intel-ja-morant-timberwolves-kings-celtics/87477567007/" rel="noopener">might want</a> to move Kyle Kuzma. So, is a Simons-for-Kuzma trade feasible?</p><h2><b>Bucks’ trade proposal for Anfernee Simons</b></h2><p><b>Bucks receive:</b> Anfernee Simons</p><p><b>Celtics receive:</b> Kyle Kuzma, 2026 second-round pick (via Utah, protected 31-55)</p><p>One-for-one swaps in the NBA are rare. The Bucks have next-to-nothing in the way of draft capital or contracts to trade for Simons. Therefore, this proposed trade includes just Kuzma and a second-round pick that is highly unlikely to convey. For the Celtics, Kuzma has another year on his deal after this one.</p><p>Unlike Simons, Kuzma could contribute to a championship push next season without needing a new contract. Kuzma is a champion in his own right from his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also comes at a discount this season compared to Simons. Boston would be able to save $5.3 million against the cap and get under the first tax apron.</p><p>Financial incentives have driven the Celtics’ roster building over the season, so it would come as no surprise if they want to get under the first apron. While Kuzma has his flaws and is a polarizing player, there are legitimate positives about his game. Kuzma has 417 career starts to his name. He can score at least at a moderate level from all three levels, and he even has two seasons scoring 20-plus points per game to his name.</p><p>Questionable shot selection and streaky defense come tagged with Kuzma, too, but he could be a solid role player for the Celtics, either as a bench player or in the starting lineup. He’d be beneficial to the team even this year, as the scoring situation is dire with Tatum hurt.</p><h2><b>Would the Bucks trade for Anfernee Simons?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Anfernee-Simons-Derrick-White.jpg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Simons’ numbers are down this year, he has started to pick up his game as of recent. He is just a season removed from averaging 19.3 points per game. Simons is also 26 years old, which bodes well compared to Kuzma’s age of 30. If the Bucks traded for him and liked what they saw, he is young enough that they could feel confident about giving him a long-term contract.</p><p>If not, then Milwaukee could let him go in free agency after the season without giving up significant draft capital. Simons is also the better outside shooter in comparison to Kuzma. On a roster that features the ultimate slasher in Giannis Antetokounmpo, it is smart to stock up on 3-point snipers.</p><p>The Eastern Conference is wide open with Tatum and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-provides-positive-update-on-achilles-injury-recovery">Tyrese Haliburton out for the year.</a> The Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat lead the conference, and nobody would have expected that coming into the season. Now is the time to be aggressive for a championship push, so if the Bucks think Simons would upgrade the roster, they should be comfortable trading Kuzma for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks trade proposal lands Anfernee Simons from Celtics

<!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-anfernee-simons-cavs-logo-dagger');   ga('set', 'title', 'Anfernee Simons hits Cavs with logo dagger');   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>Anfernee Simons hits Cavs with logo dagger</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-29T19:53:27-07:00">October 29th, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-29T19:53:27-07:00">October 29th, 7:53pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</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-crush-pelicans-avoid-worst-start-50-years">Boston Celtics have rebounded from an 0-3 start to the season</a> to win back-to-back games. The Celtics’ latest win came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that could emerge as a contender in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics rolled to a win in blowout fashion, and Anfernee Simons poured salt onto the wound for the Cavs <a href="https://x.com/CelticsNationCP/status/1983700449686671504" rel="noopener">when he buried a</a> three-pointer from the logo to give the Celtics a 17-point lead.</p><p>Anfernee Simons’ logo three-pointer came late in the third quarter and it he ended up banking it in to beat the shot clock. During the Celtics’ win against the Cavs, Simons finished with 14 points and two assists in a little over 26 minutes of play. He shot 4-of-9 from the field and that logo shot was one of the four three-point shots he knocked down in the game (4-of-6). He also shot 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-pulls-off-stunning-jrue-holiday-trade-blazers-anfernee-simons">Simons was originally acquired by the Celtics in an offseason trade</a> with the Portland Trail Blazers that saw Jrue Holiday shipped to Portland. Simons has developed into a solid NBA player, he just didn’t garner much national attention due to playing on a team that was tanking.</p><p>The No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Simons played the first seven years of his career with the Blazers. Coming into Wednesday’s game, Simons had played in all four Celtics games to that point, at a little over 28 minutes per game.</p><p>He’s been coming off the bench for the Celtics and averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 46.9 percent shooting from the field, 36.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His field goal percentage is a career-high so far.</p><p>Simons has averaged double digits in scoring in the past four seasons, and hit over 20 points per game in 2022-23 and 2023-24.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anfernee Simons hits Cavs with logo dagger

<!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/portland-trail-blazers/celtics-news-anfernee-simons-shock-chauncey-billups-arrest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Anfernee Simons ‘in shock’ over Chauncey Billups arrest');   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/2025/09/What-Celtics-Joe-Mazzulla-told-Anfernee-Simons-about-his-bad-defense.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Anfernee Simons ‘in shock’ over Chauncey Billups arrest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T12:17:29-07:00">October 24th, 12:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T12:17:29-07:00">October 24th, 12:17pm</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">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Mere hours after coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-114 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/trail-blazers-news-chauncey-billups-releases-statement-denying-illegal-gambling-allegations">Chauncey Billups was arrested and charged with wire-fraud conspiracy</a> and money-laundering conspiracy. The probe has alleged that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-chauncey-billups-arrested-terry-rozier-fbi-sports-gambling-probe">Billups was involved in an illegal gambling ring</a> with members and associates of the La Cosa Nostra organized crime families.’</p><p>Now, former Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons has <a href="https://x.com/ByJayKing/status/1981760171077448072">expressed his shock</a> at the arrest.</p><p>“It hit me pretty tough for sure. Just in shock. And obviously I’ve got a great relationship with Chauncey. Even after the trade, he’s checking in on me and I’m checking in on him,” he said, per The Athletic’s Jay King.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anfernee Simons on the Chauncey Billups news: "It hit me pretty tough for sure. Just in shock. And obviously I’ve got a great relationship with Chauncey. Even after the trade, he’s checking in on me and I’m checking in on him. So we had a great relationship and I think like I…</p><p>— Jay King (@ByJayKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/1981760171077448072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Billups arrived in Portland back in June 2021 and immediately helped Simons become a high-scoring guard.</p><p>“So we had a great relationship and I think like I said before it’s an unfortunate situation for him to be in, especially for him and his family, all the media attention that’s coming in, the scrutiny. It’s just an unfortunate situation,” he continued.</p><p>Prosecutors allege the poker ring used Billups as a recognizable “face card” to lure victims with the promise of playing against celebrities.The poker scheme is separate from, but related to, a broader federal probe that also includes an insider sports-betting case involving other defendants.</p><p>Authorities say the poker games were run <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/nbas-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups-arrested-sports-bet-probe-ap-reports-2025-10-23/" rel="noopener">in multiple hubs</a> since 2019, including Manhattan, the Hamptons, Las Vegas, and Miami, per Reuters. Investigators describe sophisticated cheating technology at those games, including altered shuffling machines that read decks, an X-ray poker table to reveal face-down cards, and marked-card systems visible through special contact lenses or glasses.</p><p>Officials said the poker conspiracy defrauded victims of at least $7 million, with some individual losses reaching seven figures. Billups appeared in federal court in Portland after his arrest and is expected to post a substantial bond as the case proceeds.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Anfernee Simons ‘in shock’ over Chauncey Billups arrest

<!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-what-joe-mazzulla-told-anfernee-simons-about-bad-defense');   ga('set', 'title', 'What Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla told Anfernee Simons about his ‘bad’ defense');   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/2025/09/What-Celtics-Joe-Mazzulla-told-Anfernee-Simons-about-his-bad-defense.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>What Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla told Anfernee Simons about his ‘bad’ defense</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-29T15:26:46-07:00">September 29th, 3:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-29T15:26:46-07:00">September 29th, 3:26pm</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>BOSTON — There’s no denying that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/3-reasons-celtics-won-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons-trade">Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons is an elite shooter</a>. But whenever his talents are discussed, it always comes with a caveat about his lacking defensive ability.</p><p>Simons wants to change that, and Boston will provide him with the chance to do so on a bigger stage than the former Portland Trail Blazer is used to. In fact, Simons revealed during media day on Monday afternoon that he’s already discussed his previous defensive woes with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.</p><p>“We talked about it,” he said. “He always says that, ‘You know, you’re not as bad as people think you are.’ And so that’s good to hear, but also I got to be able to get better in that and focusing on exactly what we need to do on defensive end.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anfernee Simons said he’s had “honest conversations” about his defense with Joe Mazzulla:</p><p>“You’re not as bad as people think you are,” Mazzulla told him.</p><p>“I’m pretty excited about being pushed to a new level,” Simons said. <a href="https://t.co/w1rsB21a4E">pic.twitter.com/w1rsB21a4E</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1972693343340499443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://x.com/NBA_University/status/1747283885736481217" rel="noopener">By some metrics</a>, Simons was ranked one of the worst defensive players in the NBA in recent years. Yet, in spite of these struggles, he’s shined on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 15 points per game for his career and developing into a true starter who hasn’t come off the bench once in his last three seasons.</p><h2><b>What did Anfernee Simons say about joining the Celtics?</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-player-danger-losing-starting-job-2025-26-training-camp">Whether or not he starts in Boston remains to be seen</a>, but either way, Simons made it clear that winning is his top priority.</p><p>“I want to win,” he told the media. “I want to contribute to winning at the highest level. And so however that that looks like, I’m fine with. So [starting] can vary game to game. That’s what’s been said. And so, I’m pretty just excited about the opportunity to play with all these guys and, like I said, contribute to winning.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anfernee Simons hints that the Celtics starting lineup will “vary from game-to-game”:</p><p>“I want to win. Like I said, I want to contribute to winning at the highest level. And so whatever that looks like, I'm fine with.” <a href="https://t.co/FKehdGlL3R">pic.twitter.com/FKehdGlL3R</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1972694175440105908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although the Blazers own a title, they’re not really seen as a premier franchise across the Association. Simons reached the playoffs in three of his seven seasons in Portland and hasn’t made it back since 2021.</p><p>The Celtics offer a very different situation, as they have the most titles in NBA history and currently have the longest active playoff streak. That winning culture is part of the reason why Simons was excited about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">his trade to Boston</a>. It’s also why he knows he has to be better.</p><p>“Coming into a culture like this, you have to be able to adapt, or you’re not going to be in the position that you want to be,” Simons stated.</p><p>Coming to that realization shows Simons is ready for the shift from Portland to Boston. Now, he just has to prove it.</p><p>“And, you know, [playing defense] is just a matter of if I want to do it or not,” Simons said. “It’s really that simple.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	2.4	2.6	0.2	0.5

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	2.4	2.6	0.2	0.5

Anfernee Simons

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What Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla told Anfernee Simons about his ‘bad’ defense

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