Damian Lillard was briefly linked to the Celtics after being waived and stretched by the Bucks, but that possibility came and went quicker than a Jrue Holiday text.

Of all the players the Celtics were expected to rid themselves of in their quest to get below the dreaded NBA second apron, young point guard JD Davison--the team's second-round pick out of Alabama in 2022--was not high on the list.

Simmons would help plug a couple of gaps within the Celtics rotation. He could ease the loss of Jrue Holiday due to his defensive versatility, and he could help eat some of the playmaking load Jayson Tatum was forced to vacate due to an Achilles tendon injury.