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Anfernee Simons did not have to wait long to get a promotion with his new team this week. The former Celtics guard made his debut with the Bulls on Thursday night after being traded for Nikola Vucevic and took advantage upon being handed a starting role for the first time all year.
Simons was an impressive bright spot for Chicago, posting 22 points while shooting 53 percent from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range in a 123-107 loss for the Bulls to Chicago. Simons played 49 games in Boston before the team traded him away Thursday but did not get a single start despite Joe Mazzulla starting 12 different players this year before his departure
The Bulls cleared the way for a closer look at Simons though this week, opting to trade away Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu before Thursday’s deadline. With Josh Giddey also sidelined, new addition Jaden Ivey and Simons started in the backcourt. The veteran guard reflected on the quick transition after the game.
“Man, just taking it in stride, you know what I mean? Everything is moving so fast,” Simons told reporters in Chicago after the game. “Just me and the guys in the morning, basically, and go through shootaround with them, go out there and play in an NBA game. I’m still taking it one day at a time. Just getting a real relationship with everybody, gotta keep building.”
The Celtics traded away Simons with a 2026 second-round pick on Thursday in exchange for Vucevic and a 2027 second-round pick. Brad Stevens spoke about the deal on Friday that helped Boston get under the luxury tax line and also bolster the team’s frontcourt.
“I think first and foremost, that was a move done in large part to balance out our positional needs, and it’s a hard decision when you have to move a person like Ant who’s been so good, such a great teammate,” Stevens said. “I thought we had a little more depth and opportunity at the guard to cover that and if we were able to get a big that had a similar impact from the standpoint of I guess filling different statistical needs and gave us a little more insurance in case of any depth issues, I felt like that was the right thing to do. And Nikola is a good player. He’s been a good player for a long time.”
The Celtics will get a chance to face Simons in a Bulls uniform for the first time on Wednesday night when Chicago visits the TD Garden in the final game before the All-Star break.