The Boston Celtics look like a team that could use a shake up after a slow start to the 2021-22 season, while the Philadelphia 76ers continue to be a team in search of a way to satiate Ben Simmons’ public request for a trade. According to a new report, the two franchises might turn to one another for a solution.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Celtics and Sixers have reportedly been in talks with one another over a potential move that would send Simmons to Beantown, although nothing has gotten too far down the road yet. The catch: If it were to happen, Boston would have to part with one of its young All-Star players.
The Boston Celtics have engaged in conversations with the 76ers revolving around Simmons and expressed interest in the 6-foot-11 guard, sources tell The Athletic. Talks have been fluid with no traction as of yet, those sources say. Any potential Simmons deal with the Celtics would have to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, an ascending talent who is in the midst of another career season, averaging 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Boston finds itself sitting at 4-6 to start the season, the only team in their division with a losing record at the moment. Like Simmons, Brown was a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft who has spent the entirety of his career with the same team. He’s found ways to improve his game throughout his career — he made his first All-Star team last season and kicked off this year with a career-best 46 points in the team’s double overtime loss to the New York Knicks — but was recently called out by Marcus Smart after a loss.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka has a history with Simmons, as he was an assistant coach for the Sixers during the 2019-20 campaign.