There's a new bucket-getter in Beantown, by way of the Pacific Northwest. On Monday night, the Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks from the Portland Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday. A Celtics legend after helping the team to an NBA championship in 2024, Holiday joins a young Blazers team where he'll be like the cool uncle.
Boston, meanwhile, gets a great scorer to plug into its backcourt. Without Jayson Tatum, there is likely a ceiling on the Celtics' 2025-26 season, but that shouldn't (and clearly hasn't) stop the front office from trying to get better. Here's how the starting lineup would look if the season started today.
Projected Boston Celtics starting lineup after acquiring Anfernee Simons
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Derrick White | Point guard |
Anfernee Simons | Shooting guard |
Jaylen Brown | Small forward |
Al Horford | Power forward |
Kristaps Porzingis | Center |
I should be clear — this is likely not what the Celtics starting lineup will look like in October, as I assume more trades are coming. But right now, in the early hours of June 24th, this is how the lineup stacks up in my mind. Derrick White and Simons could form a fun backcourt; White's defensive aptitude and Simons' scoring prowess should balance each other nicely. Neither is an elite passer, but both are good enough to get the job done, and combined, they turn into a pretty good guard tandem.
Kristaps Porzingis could be next on the trade block
One trade down, two to go? Three to go? Brad Stevens will likely wheel and deal this summer, and I think Kristaps Porzingis is the next Celtics star to be moved elsewhere.
Also, Al Horford is technically not a member of the Boston Celtics right now — he's an unrestricted free agent this summer — but him staying in Boston feels like a near-guarantee, hence why I put him in the projected starting lineup. It's not crazy to suggest that Boston decides to re-sign Luke Kornet instead of an aging Horford, though. But for now, tentatively and tenuously, this is Boston's starting lineup.