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.

Ben Simmons is reportedly narrowing down his next NBA team, with two Eastern Conference contenders out of the race. The Boston Celtics look unlikely to sign Simmons, according to Celtics expert Bobby Manning, who said that roster constraints will keep the Australian off the team.

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.

The thinking is that Simmons has never been part of a winning culture and thus has little to offer the development of such players besides soaking up a portion of the minutes in a best-case scenario.

While the New York Knicks were among the several teams to express interest in acquiring Ben Simmons in free agency, an anonymous GM suggested that the Knicks may be at the bottom of Simmons' preferred list of destinations.