Brad Stevens' Abilities Inspiring Calls to Trade Sam Hauser or Anfernee Simons

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has earned enough trust to be able to deal away valuable role players at the trade deadline to reduce the luxury tax bill and effectively replace them with low-cost options.

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes mentioned two potential options for Stevens to offload: Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons. Hauser is having a bad year by his recent standard, but was a key part of the team's playoff runs in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Simons, meanwhile, has emerged as a nearly irreplaceable bench piece as a microwave-scoring sixth man.

Hughes trusts Stevens to replace them because of diamond-in-the-rough finds like Neemias Queta, who was signed before the 2023-24 season and has been successfully developed into a starter, Josh Minott, who's emerged during the 2025-26 season in a more sustainable way than Jordan Walsh in the frontcourt, and rookie Hugo Gonzalez, who looks like he can be a starter within two years.

“The Boston Celtics can finish what they started over the summer. By shedding roughly $12 million in salary to duck the luxury tax and reset the repeater clock, they’ll avoid heftier penalties as they get Jayson Tatum back and, theoretically, return to contention next year," Hughes wrote.

“This season’s surprising competency makes the decision to offload money more difficult. Teams that currently sit among their conference’s top four don’t tend to be sellers. But the Celtics can shed the necessary cash with relatively little trouble. Sam Hauser’s $10 million salary gets them almost all the way there, and the more drastic option of dumping Anfernee Simons’ expiring $27.7 million is still on the table.

“Boston probably can’t improve the roster while also trimming cash, but early-season success stories like Neemias Queta, Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez suggest this is a franchise that can find and replace depth pieces better than most."

Is Celtics' New Ownership Serious About Winning?

If Bill Chisholm and Co. are serious about maintaining former team owner Wyc Grousbeck's winning culture, there's no reason not to keep Simons on the roster. He's come on strong in recent weeks, proving indispensable to Boston's offense by bailing out possessions with shot-creation.

One can see it as boosting his trade value, but Simons has been a great offensive weapon for years, and just didn't get to showcase it on a directionless Portland Trail Blazers locker room under Chauncey Billups. Giving up on him prematurely can give Celtics fans a "what-if" for years to come if they get bounced from the postseason early.

Hauser has struggled this season, but he's been an important rotational piece with a clearly defined role for years. Keeping him could end up being worth the extra tax payments if he hits big shots in the postseason.

Celtics ownership doesn't have to be big-sellers. Only if they care more about their bottom line than their die-hard fanbase's opinions.

They know the stakes. We'll see if they act accordingly.