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When it comes to the NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics always expect to be one of the final teams standing. This organization made it to six of the last eight Eastern Conference Finals entering the 2024-25 season, and they entered the postseason this season as a 61-win 2-seed and the defending NBA champions.
Entering the playoffs as the defending champs this year, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown understood the challenge of making the NBA Finals would be different. For the first time in a while, the Celtics were the hunted instead of the hunters, and rival teams played them a lot tougher as a result. As a result, Boston ended up being the ones who limped into the playoffs, dealing with injury concerns.
Aside from Kristaps Porzingis continuing to deal with a mystery illness that severely limited his production and availability late in the season, Brown entered the playoffs with a knee injury Boston wouldn't provide much clarity on. In the first round against the Orlando Magic, Jayson Tatum suffered a wrist injury, and Jrue Holiday injured his hamstring.
While the Celtics won this series in five games, wear and tear was beginning to catch up to them. The New York Knicks, a team built last summer to solely compete against Boston with athleticism and length on the wing, took the fight to the banged-up C's by winning the first two games of the series in TD Garden.
Although the Celtics won Game 3 in Madison Square Garden, they suffered more than a loss in Game 4. Tatum, who was having his best game of the playoffs with 42 points, suffered a non-contact right leg injury and was later diagnosed with a torn Achilles. Without their leader and star forward, Boston fell to New York in six games.
When Brad Stevens decided to go all-in for a championship by bringing in Derrick White, Holiday, and Porzingis to pair with his two All-Star wings, he understood that this team wouldn't be financially stable for long.
After signing Brown to a five-year, $285 million contract extension last offseason, followed by a five-year, $314 million extension for Tatum, the 2024-25 season seemed like Boston's last chance to win a title before having to make key roster decisions.
Now that Tatum is out indefinitely and it was recently revealed that Brown had been playing through a partially torn meniscus, the Celtics appear ready to face the consequences of the league's CBA and apron rules.
The era of dynasties is no more unless the Oklahoma City Thunder have something to say about that. Teams are no longer able to do what the Golden State Warriors did in 2016 by signing Kevin Durant or what the Celtics accomplished before their title in 2024 by adding Holiday and Porzingis to their already exceptionally high payroll.
Stevens understands this is the name of the game. He carefully weighed the risk and reward with owner Wyc Grousbeck to maximize this organization's championship potential, and he delivered with their recent title. Now comes the hard part of the job entering the summer, as keeping Brown, Tatum, Holiday, White, and Porzingis together no longer seems like a viable option.
Not only are the Celtics prepared to take a step back given Tatum's Achilles injury, but Grousbeck agreed to sell the team for $6.1 billion to a group led by Bill Chisholm. Where the Celtics go from here is the major question, as teams around the league are beginning to carefully monitor Stevens' next steps leading up to the draft.
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Who stays and who goes in Boston?
The Celtics' future is still bright. No matter what decisions Stevens and the front office make to revamp this roster, Tatum is still 27 and Brown is 28. These two are the foundation of Boston's success now and moving forward.
Even though NBA fans love to stir the pot by creating their own trade proposals and ideas, neither Tatum nor Brown are on their way out of Boston entering the summer, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints.
As for the decisions to be made, Stevens is focused on continuing to find ways to reinvent the Celtics' championship success. Just because Tatum is injured and likely to be out through the 2026 All-Star break doesn't mean Boston will be taking a purposeful step back.
“We've been talking about this for years. The CBA has been well-known for years, and so there are penalties associated with being at certain levels, and we know that,” Stevens acknowledged in his end-of-season press conference in Boston at the start of the week. “You just weigh that, you weigh where we are, you weigh everything else, and you make those decisions.
“You have to have the clarity of a full season and the full playoffs and a couple good nights of sleep, and everybody gets in a room and put your heads together and figure out what's next.”
To this point in Stevens' tenure, the Celtics have never been in a place where they needed to readjust their roster based on salary restraints. The idea was always to buy more talent and leverage winning factors for better talent. That is why players like Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Aaron Nesmith, and Robert Williams III were leveraged in recent years.
All of these separate moves ultimately paid off, as Stevens and the Celtics have a championship to show for it. This offseason, Stevens will need to get creative with how he adjusts the roster to fit Boston's new financial philosophy and a short life without Tatum.
For starters, this isn't going to be a full-blown garage sale. Teams won't be able to approach Stevens and the Celtics like a “pawn shop with discounted items,” as one Western Conference executive joked. Boston still has one of the best rosters in the entire league, healthy or not, which is why there is value to be had in any potential trade scenarios they consider.
Before even considering who to let go and how to navigate the trade market, the Celtics first need to make decisions about who they want back. Al Horford and Luke Kornet will both be unrestricted free agents this summer, and both players hold high interest in returning to Boston, sources said.
While he will be 39 years young on June 3, Horford still intends on playing for the Celtics in what would be his 19th year during the 2025-26 season. Horford remaining with the Celtics has seemed like a given for quite some time, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN also previously reported on the veteran's desire to return.
As for Kornet, his situation is a little different. The 29-year-old big man is no longer a minimum-contract player, and Boston's payroll would only increase if he and Horford are retained in free agency. Sam Hauser received a four-year, $45 million contract extension last offseason, and Kornet is going to be fishing for his earnings from this past season and the team's recent championship run.
Speaking of Hauser, he is one of the Celtics' role players teams are keeping an eye on as a player who will likely be a part of trade conversations this summer. In his four seasons with Boston, Hauser has shot 42 percent from 3-point range and has developed into a decent defender as well. Potentially moving Hauser saves the Celtics from his $10 million payroll and the additional major taxes that come with it.
At this time, there aren't any indications that Payton Pritchard, the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, will be moved in the offseason. Not long ago, Pritchard wanted out of Boston to find a solidified role elsewhere since he wasn't getting minutes. That narrative is no more, as Pritchard proved to be one of the most important offensive weapons for the Celtics this season outside of their All-Stars.
If he were to be moved, sources say Pritchard would be included in a larger, unexpected move Stevens could pull off in the summer. The Celtics do not view him as a player who can be utilized in a salary dump.
Between a payroll that will be near $220 million for the 2025-26 season and a tax bill that is expected to rise to over $260 million, the Celtics are on the verge of a historic $500 million combined price tag for next season, which is why the conversation about the organization cutting back is very prominent between league personnel.
Stevens has an idea of what needs to happen and what this summer will look like for his team, and it all starts with pushing through adversity to remain a title-contending threat in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics won't enter complete rebuild
Despite all of their injuries and Tatum suffering a torn Achilles, the Celtics still believed that they had what it took to come back against the Knicks and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. They showed that in Game 5 at home in front of their fans, but the Game 6 loss in Madison Square Garden, a 38-point beatdown, was a cruel reminder of what Boston is facing entering the offseason.
The Celtics are still a great team, don't let that get lost in translation. Joe Mazzulla has proven to be one of the better coaches in the league and is getting the most from his team despite being a 36-year-old head coach. Aside from the connection this roster shares with Mazzulla, the Celtics have had excellent veteran leadership through the years.
Jrue Holiday has been a leading voice in Boston since his arrival before the 2023-24 season, and he's embraced his role as one of the leading voices in the locker room. While he has sacrificed his production and overall potential on the court, Holiday's value extends well past his ability to score or create turnovers from the opposition.
This organization and its fans love the passion Holiday brings, and the veteran has consistently talked about how much he enjoys playing for the Celtics. Amid all the conversations about potential change on the horizon, Holiday still believes his team has what it takes to win at the highest level.
“I think we still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday said in his exit interview on Sunday. “I think the talent we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff, all the way up to Brad, has been amazing. The opportunity to win is now and I still want to be part of that.”
As an offseason of decisions begins for Stevens and the Celtics, Holiday's future will be a key talking point. The 34-year-old defensive standout still has three years left on his contract and is set to make $32.4 million during the 2025-26 season. Moving Holiday immediately takes financial pressure off the organization's back, but at what cost?
Nobody currently on this roster could replicate Holiday's influence, leadership, and production. Even though there are teams who will call the Celtics about Holiday to begin the offseason, Boston is likely to turn their attention elsewhere in potential salary dump trades.
Next to Holiday in the backcourt is Derrick White, who has developed his own voice and two-way presence since joining Boston in 2022. White is an invaluable member of this organization and has proved to be their third-best overall player alongside Tatum and Brown. He is under contract for four more years and will make $28.1 million during the 2025-26 season.
Out of all the players on the Celtics' roster, they could likely get the most in return for White on the trade block this summer. After winning a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics and averaging a career-high 16.4 points per game, White has become one of the best non-All-Star two-way contributors in the league.
Already, White has been no stranger to trade rumors beginning to manifest during the NBA Playoffs. Several teams around the league would be thrilled to pursue White in trade talks, yet league sources are insistent the Celtics have given zero indications that parting ways with Derrick White this summer is a possibility.
Boston views White as an essential core player alongside Tatum and Brown. That is why it would take quite the offer for Stevens to entertain this idea. Never say never, as anything is possible in this league after the Luka Doncic trade, but White isn't viewed as a player the organization will be forced to move in a salary dump move.
Ultimately, the idea of moving someone to save money points in the direction of Kristaps Porzingis.
Regardless of how many games Porzingis has missed in recent years due to injury and now his mysterious illness, there is no denying that he has been a productive contributor to the Celtics' championship success. Teams are always seeking 7-footers who can stretch the floor and provide production from the perimeter, which makes Porzingis entering the final year of his contract at a price tag of $30.7 million the player to discuss.
Between Porzingis, Holiday, and White, the Latvian big man is viewed as the most likely of the three complementary stars to be traded this offseason, sources said. Since he is in the final year of his contract, the Celtics wouldn't' necessarily need to attach extra assets in a package to unload Porzingis' contract. Not to mention, there are a few teams in the Western Conference who would explore the possibility of pursuing the Celtics center.
The Golden State Warriors have long been viewed as a potential destination for Porzingis before he even joined Boston in 2023. It is no secret to anyone that the Warriors will be seeking immediate frontcourt production. Since he doesn't carry any long-term financial restraints, Porzingis could fill an immediate gap next to Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
This fit makes sense, but Porzingis' health is the top concern many teams share at this time.
It is also worth mentioning that Golden State has been labeled as a team that would have serious interest in White if he were made available this summer. Given his two-way play and the Dubs' need for a secondary ball-handler and facilitator next to Curry, White checks off all the boxes as an ideal fit for Steve Kerr.
However, pursuing White means giving up Moses Moody, and then the questions shift to what will happen with Jonathan Kuminga as a restricted free agent.
If there is a sign-and-trade opportunity with Kuminga over the summer, he wouldn't be going to Boston in a hypothetical package. So now you have other teams getting involved, knowing they would be directly aiding Boston and Golden State's potential trade. While possible, it's hard to see this materializing.
Outside of the Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs are all expected to make frontcourt additions in the offseason.
The Lakers' need for a big man is clear, and Porzingis already has a relationship with Luka Doncic dating back to their days playing together on the Dallas Mavericks. Reports about the two not seeing eye-to-eye were blown out of proportion, as the two are still good friends.
The Suns' situation is much more complicated since they are a second-apron team with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. Is there a potential path for the Celtics to create a package that involves Porzingis to make a run at Durant this summer? That is one of the instances where Stevens would need to consider the futures of White, Pritchard, and other assets that won't immediately be put on the trade block.
As for the Pelicans and Spurs, these are two teams that missed the playoffs, yet they each hold high aspirations heading into the new year.
New Orleans wants to add frontcourt depth next to All-Rookie big man Yves Missi, and the Spurs need another stretch power forward or center to have next to Victor Wembanyama. Porzingis would make some sense for San Antonio since he is only under contract for one year and would allow the Spurs to keep building their future.
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How Celtics' decisions impact NBA trade market
The good news for the Celtics entering the offseason is that the league's cap figures are set to increase. In total, the salary cap is expected to rise roughly 10 percent, which is beneficial to a high-paying team like the Celtics. Still, deals are expected to be made, which sets the stage for what will be a trade market full of teams looking to get off big contracts and others attempting to pursue superstars.
Many tend to believe the Celtics are being categorized as a team that will only enter the summer with a seller's mindset, but Stevens made it clear he isn't planning on rebuilding. Boston has high championship aspirations with or without Tatum on the floor, and Brown emphasized the fact that he will be back to help lead the team during the 2025-26 season.
“It's tough, the way we went out,” Brown said in the immediate aftermath of the team's playoff loss in New York. “But the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I'm proud of our group. I thought that we fought. We was in a lot of battles, and it's a lot to be excited for.
“This journey is not the end. It's not the end for me.”
There remains a small possibility of Stevens and the Celtics moving some contracts to replace Tatum's lost production with that of another star player to make another immediate title push. Durant is the name that makes the most sense since he has one more year left on his contract before entering free agency in 2026, but what about Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Teams are still awaiting word as to what will happen with Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. If he wants out, the two-time MVP will want to go somewhere he has a chance to win at the highest level possible. It is unlikely he would join a rival of his for so many years in Boston, but the Celtics do have the capability to create more than a $54 million buffer and hypothetically add Giannis' contract to their payroll.
The only problem with this crazy scenario is that the Celtics would still be a second-apron team, and it's much more likely they move under this threshold than add another player making over $50 million annually.
Boston will help control what is expected to be a trade market full of unexpected twists. Draft picks will be on the move between teams before the 2025 NBA Draft, and the Celtics could move players that can directly impact either conference's championship outlook.
A season of disappointment quickly becomes an offseason of mystery for the Celtics. Although their championship hope remains, this organization's title window and hopes of becoming a dynasty have taken a hit.
Where Stevens goes from here to try and reconstruct his roster will have a drastic impact on the 2025 NBA offseason.
Other notes and intel from around the NBA:
Brooklyn Nets: It is no secret to anyone that the Brooklyn Nets will be busy leading up to and during the 2025 NBA Draft with five picks inside the top 36. Rival teams are expecting GM Sean Marks to try and acquire a second lottery pick by utilizing the 19th, 26th, and 27th picks in the first round of this year's draft. There has also been some talk sprouting from last week's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago that Brooklyn is coming up with potential scenarios to move up from the eighth overall selection.
Which team picking above them would be interested in doing business with the Nets? The Philadelphia 76ers haven't given any indications that they are open to trading the third pick, at least as of yet, and the same can be said about the Charlotte Hornets with the fourth pick. Then there are the San Antonio Spurs at No. 2 and the Utah Jazz at No. 5, two organizations that always have tricks up their sleeves when it comes to moving around in the draft.
It is no guarantee that the Spurs will hold onto the second pick in this year's draft. With Dylan Harper widely viewed as the second-best player in this class and San Antonio already having De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in their backcourt, the idea of adding Harper to the mix wouldn't necessarily be ideal. That is why talk of the Nets potentially packaging picks to get Harper as their franchise point guard is something multiple organizations are keeping track of.
With less than five weeks until the 2025 NBA Draft, expect Marks and the Nets to be very active in exploring ways to move up and down the draft board.
Miami Heat: The Miami Heat are expected to be buyers this offseason and seek to make immediate upgrades around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, sources said. Pat Riley is always aggressive on the summer trade market, and he will be involved in any conversations about All-Star players hitting the market. It is highly unlikely that all three of Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, and Andrew Wiggins begin the 2025-26 season on Miami's roster. DeMar DeRozan is once again viewed by other teams as a potential target for Riley and the Heat.
Milwaukee Bucks: There are no new developments with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis was recently in San Francisco attending Google's annual major event and not to visit with the Golden State Warriors, as many Dubs fans have been fantasizing on social media. At this very moment of publication, Giannis has not signaled to the Bucks that he wants to stay or seek opportunities elsewhere this summer.
New Orleans Pelicans: Rival teams are once again pinpointing Herb Jones as a high-level offseason target from the New Orleans Pelicans, sources said. David Griffin, who was a huge fan of Jones' two-way potential, is no longer running things in NOLA, as Joe Dumars has inherited a roster he will need to make decisions about, starting with which players to have around Zion Williamson. Jones is currently rehabbing from a labrum tear in his right shoulder, yet a lot of uncertainty surrounds his future with the Pelicans under Dumar's leadership.
Phoenix Suns: As we have been reporting at ClutchPoints since April, it is not a given that Kevin Durant will be traded this offseason. The former MVP has not explicitly told Suns owner Mat Ishbia or executive James Jones that he wants to be moved, and who Phoenix ultimately hires as their next head coach will play a role in his future with the franchise, sources said. Keep an eye on Johnnie Bryant, James Borrego, and Chris Quinn as the Suns enter the later rounds of their coaching search.
Sacramento Kings: Jrue Holiday is a veteran player the Sacramento Kings have interest in, sources said. Whether or not Holiday is made available in trade talks by Boston is the ultimate question. New GM Scott Perry has made it clear his team needs a true point guard, and he was always a fan of Holiday when he worked with the New York Knicks. Perry wanted to explore the possibility of adding Holiday in New York before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020, sources said. Sacramento enters the offseason with decisions needing to be made about DeMar DeRozan's immediate future.
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