The Celtics face a hefty tax bill and basketball penalties, and they’ll need to shed salary to avoid that reality.
To do so, Boston will need to make tough decisions and part ways with players who helped them win the NBA championship during the 2023-24 season. According to NBA insider March Stein on Sunday, the Celtics were “more apt to make Jrue Holiday available via trade this offseason than Derrick White.” He also described Kristaps Porzingis as “the most movable Boston vet” due to his expiring contract.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to Green Teamers. Holiday’s and Porzingis’ injuries might signal they might not reach the peaks they did last season. It also makes sense for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and White to be the foundation of the next era of the franchise.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens didn’t go into detail about how Boston will handle the offseason. But fans already are bracing for change, and analysts aren’t shy about throwing out their trade ideas.
