The Celtics, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, are interested in Ben Simmons with the 76ers seeking Jaylen Brown in return.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald:
Per league source: Report of Celtics discussing trade with Philadelphia for Ben Simmons is "untrue."
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) November 8, 2021
Why wouldn’t the Celtics be interested in Simmons? He’s a highly productive young player whose defense would fit their desired identity and whose passing would be welcome.
But interested enough to meet Philadelphia’s high asking price? Probably not. Brown is more valuable than Simmons.
It seems there’s a lot of fuss over something not close to happening. Even the initial report noted there was no traction between the teams.
So, with any interest in Simmons unlikely to actualize into an actual trade, Boston might as well try to tamp down the potentially disruptive noise.