Ben Simmons may not join the Boston Celtics if this free agent joins them instead.
Ben Simmons to Celtics Potentially Dead After Decision by NBA Free Agent originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Ben Simmons is one of the biggest names remaining on the free agency market. The Boston Celtics have been named as one of the teams interested in him. Though not the player he once was, the Celtics could mold him to be part of their center rotation if they add him and all goes right.
Simmons' All-Star days are behind him, but he still puts up numbers intriguing enough for a team like the Celtics to talk themselves into him. Though he's not putting up what he used to with the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons still averaged 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in only 22 minutes a game last season.
The Celtics have lost Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet this summer, and are widely expected to lose Al Horford, leaving Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, and Luka Garza as their only centers on the roster. Simmons could make up for what they've lost.
Charles Bassey's Interest in Joining the Celtics May Stop Them From Adding Ben Simmons
Boston adding Simmons could make some sense, but not if they add another center first. CelticsBlog's Noa Dalzell reported that Charles Bassey, who played for the Celtics' Summer League team, would like to join the Celtics, but whether that happens is up in the air.
"Celtics Summer League standout center Charles Bassey is not planning on playing overseas next season, sources told CelticsBlog," Dalzell wrote. "Multiple outlets previously reported that he was seriously considering signing with the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, but he currently plans to play in the NBA next season.
"Bassey would especially love to sign with the Celtics if the opportunity presented itself, sources said. How realistic that might be remains to be seen."
NEW: Sources tell me Charles Bassey is not currently planning on going overseas, despite multiple outlets indicating otherwise.
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) August 2, 2025
Bassey still sees the Celtics as an ideal destination, and is drawn to the team's culture of sustained winning.
More here: https://t.co/sdhFCZmTfq
There are indications that interest would be mutual to some degree. A Celtics front office executive told Spotrac's Keith Smith that the Celtics would like to add Bassey, though he was not specific about how Boston would add him.
“Considering he got added to our team so late, this was an awesome run for him. No idea if we’ll have roster space for him or not. But we’d love to keep working with Charles and see if we can make something work,” the exec told Smith.
This could mean the Celtics could add Bassey to their training camp roster and/or potentially add him to their G-League roster. Depending on what they do, signing Bassey to their full-time roster would have implications for their interest in Simmons.
Not only would adding Bassey add to their center rotation, but it would put their roster at 15. Unless Boston planned to trade another player off the roster, it would be hard to see how or why they would then add Simmons.
Related: NBA Fans Bracing for Ben Simmons News After Celtics’ Roster Move
Related: Ben Simmons to Celtics Deemed Unlikely for One Reason
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
