Anfernee Simons returned to Boston Wednesday for the first time since being traded to the Chicago Bulls just ahead of last week's NBA deadline.
While the veteran guard was not shocked he was moved, Simons learned he had been traded for Nikola Vučević via a phone call from C's president of basketball operations Brad Stevens just moments after his pregame nap in Dallas last Tuesday.
"Brad is a good guy, and he's always been open and honest about everything," Simons said at Bulls shootaround Wednesday morning at TD Garden. "Obviously, it was a tough conversation for him, for me to accept, but I understood."
The 26-year-old spoke highly of Boston and his brief tenure as a Celtic, where he averaged 14.2 points per contest on 44% shooting from the field and 39% from 3-point range to go along with 2.4 assists in 49 games played (all off the bench).
"You build a connection with the city and team -- you won together, lost together," Simons said. "So that's the toughest part, getting some relationships and relationships, and being able to go out there and compete with each other, and that kind of stops, and then you kind of feel you kind of feel sad about it. But the NBA moves fast, not even 48 hours later I'm on the court with a new team."
For Simons it's been a seamlessly smooth on-court transition with the Bulls, putting up 20 points and 5.3 assists, while shooting 48.9% from the field and 34.4% from three -- however, Chicago was 0-3 since the trade deadline ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the Celtics.
Still, it feels weird wearing a red jersey on the parquet, especially since the last game played at TD Garden he dropped 27 points on Martin King Jr. Day in a Celtics' blowout victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"You start to see a future for yourself in Boston, for sure," Simons said. "[You're] winning, everything's going great. You're getting comfortable. Try their best to make you feel comfortable. And so you wanted to see, obviously, the light at the end of the tunnel, and be able to compete with the team the whole season, but obviously the NBA is a business."
Simons acknowledged that he was traded for a great player in Vučević, who is a big that can stretch the floor, and helps the the dynamic of the Celtics and their championship aspirations in a season that many viewed as "bridge year."
"You understand that part," Simons said. "So you can get a little bit emotional behind it, but at the same time, you understand it. And, you kind of just move on. I understand that it was for a great player as well, somebody that's been an All-Star. So you come here and just accept that with his new team, dive straight in and compete."
Since his departure, former teammates and coaches have said nothing but glowing things about Simons, who was a huge reason for the Celtics winning 31 of the 49 games he played.
"Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me -- it's a business, but there's a human aspect to it," Jaylen Brown said in his postgame comments following last week's win over the Mavericks. "He's just a great, great person, great kid on and off the floor, just humble -- I hope he gets everything that he's looking for just because he just fit right in with this group of guys in our locker room."
"He could have had different thoughts, and thought differently, and his energy could have been different," Brown added. "He was a great teammate and did everything he needed to do that we asked him and more, and contributed to winning. Anfernee has all the respect in the world from me, and I hope he gets everything he deserves."
Joe Mazzulla also praised Simons for how he handled a new role of playing off the bench after coming from being a starter for a good part of seven years with the Portland Trail Blazers.
"I thought he handled the role and the preparation and the situation about as best as he could -- and we're a better team for that," said the Celtics head coach. "It came from his humility, his work ethic, and his dedication."
Despite playing 24.5 minutes per contest in Boston -- his fewest in the last five seasons -- Simons believes the experience will only benefit him going forward whether it be in Chicago or elsewhere.
"Just the opportunity to go out there and contribute to winning," Simons said. "And obviously, [it's] a historic franchise, they have a lot of aspirations to win a championship, and you can see that each and every day -- in the way they practice, by their habits, the way they speak to each other, it's one common goal. So, I learned a lot from just being around and being able to experience it here."
While Simons will finish out the 2025-26 season with the Bulls, he's set to become a unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time in his career. He did crack a smile, however when asked if he saw himself making a return to play for the Celtics one day in the future.
"Potentially, for sure," Simons said. "Obviously, got to finish our season here first and see what happens there. But, for sure down the line. Like I said, [I] enjoyed my time here, built great relationships here, so I see it for sure."
Joel Pavón
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