The
Celtics
are one of four teams that have shown interest in former All-Star forward Ben Simmons according to a new report from
NBA insider Marc Stein
.
Stein reports that Simmons has had recent talks with the Phoenix Suns about a deal for next season but has also drawn interest from the Knicks, Kings and
Boston
since the start of free agency on June 30.
The Celtics currently have 15 players on their roster after
wrapping up Summer League
but have been rumored to still be looking at deals involving new additions Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang. The team also has two contracts on the roster that aren’t fully guaranteed for next season (Jordan Walsh, JD Davison).
Boston currently only has the ability to offer any free agent a veteran’s minimum deal due to their payroll commitments ($207.8 million) that put them just over the second apron. If Boston were to cut significant money from the books in a trade, it could open the door to using the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Simmons is unlikely to command that type of money on the open market. He was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets last season in the final year of his mammoth deal and signed with the Clippers for the remainder of the year. Simmons averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 51 contests split between the Nets and Clippers. He was a minor part of the Clippers rotation off the bench in the postseason but did little with those minutes, averaging just 0.8 points in eight minutes per game in just five appearances over the Clippers seven-game series loss to the Nuggets.
The 29-year-old could be drawn to Boston due to the opportunity available in Boston’s rotation with the departure of four key players along with Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles. Any commitment from Boston’s standpoint would be a tougher sell unless it was for two years in order to keep Simmons in the fold for Tatum’s return. The Celtics signed two free agents to two-year deals this offseason already in Luka Garza and Josh Minott for the veteran’s minimum.
