Anfernee Simons Trade to Celtics Sends His Card Prices Shooting Up

The NBA Finals just ended, and teams are already making moves, with the Boston Celtics trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. Simons, who averaged just under 20 points a game this season, gives Boston another scoring option while Jayson Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury. The trade has already made waves in the card market, with Simons’ card prices jumping quickly after the news broke.

WELCOME TO BOSTON ANFERNEE SIMONS

Star in the Making 🌟 pic.twitter.com/YYIn5aEHIh
— 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙙 ☘️ (@BOSFred7) June 24, 2025

Anfernee Simons’ 2018 Panini Prizm Silver Rookie Card in a PSA 10 sold for just $20 on June 11, but by June 24, the same card had jumped to $80. Additionally, his 2018 Panini Contenders Rookie Autograph in a PSA 10 sold for $375 after going for just $170 a month earlier. Collectors are clearly buying into the hype, speculating that Simons could have a major boost in attention this year in Boston. And with the Celtics expected to try to stay competitive, many believe his card prices could keep climbing as the season gets closer.

This move shouldn’t come as a surprise to collectors, since hype and attention have always played a big role in driving card values, especially for young prospects. And while this is usually the worst time to buy, with excitement high and prices likely to settle back down, some believe this situation might be different. Simons was already priced so low that many see it as a low-risk, high-upside play. Some collectors have even compared the move to what we saw with Jalen Brunson a few years ago: a young scorer getting a real opportunity to shine on a storied franchise. Of course, most of these bets don’t usually pan out, but that rarely stops collectors from taking the swing. Only time will tell if it pays off.