The Boston Celtics suffered a frustrating 111-114 defeat to the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back, in a game that carried extra emotional weight with Derrick Rose’s jersey retirement ceremony at the United Center.
Yet it was Anfernee Simons, speaking in the quiet of the postgame locker room, who delivered the night’s most memorable moment.
Fresh off a double-overtime thriller against the Brooklyn Nets that kept the team out until 4 a.m., the Celtics arrived in Chicago running on fumes. Most players would have leaned on the schedule as an explanation for the loss. Simons refused.
“Coming off the double overtime, not getting to the hotel until 4 o’clock in the morning,” Simons said. “Coming in here on an emotional night—those things can play a factor. But we’re not going to give ourselves any of those types of excuses. We knew we came here to play a game, fully expecting to win—no matter the cost, no matter what obstacles we faced the night before. It doesn’t matter. We’ve got to come together and just win a ballgame. That’s the attitude we have.”
The message was direct, unfiltered, and unmistakably Celtics: no alibis, only accountability.
While the loss stings—especially with a quick turnaround looming against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday—Simons’ words underscored the growing resilience within a roster that has already proven it can win under any circumstance.
Trade Rumors Swirl, But Simons Is Making a Case to Stay
With the February 5 trade deadline approaching, Simons’ name has surfaced in rumors, most notably with the Los Angeles Clippers showing interest. According to ClutchPoints’ Tom Azarly, the Clippers have inquired about several expiring-contract guards, including Simons, Collin Sexton, and Coby White, as they search for backcourt depth to ease the load on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
Simons, in the final year of his four-year, $100 million deal and earning $27 million this season, fits perfectly as a movable salary for Boston if president of basketball operations Brad Stevens decides to tweak the rotation.
Yet his recent play off the bench has complicated that calculus. Strong performances and an embracement of the team’s “no excuses” culture have some wondering whether the Celtics might prefer to keep him long-term.
NBA salary cap expert Keith Smith recently broke down a potential extension scenario on the Celtics Chronicle podcast.
“I think Simons’ market is going to cool a bit,” Smith said. “The teams with real cap space probably won’t chase him aggressively. He’ll likely land around the mid-level exception range. If I’m Boston, I’m comfortable going a little above that—maybe starting at $15-16 million, even up to $20 million in year one with a slightly descending structure—to keep his cap hold higher for future trade flexibility.”
For a Celtics front office known for its calculated moves, retaining a productive, attitude-aligned guard on a reasonable deal could prove more valuable than whatever assets a deadline trade might return.
As Boston prepares to face the Hawks, one thing is clear: Anfernee Simons isn’t just playing for wins—he’s playing to prove he belongs in green for years to come.