With Jayson Tatum out for quite a while and the Celtics on the brink of elimination, it’s probably time for Boston to really start thinking about the future.
To be clear, the reigning NBA champions all but surely were bound for seismic moves no matter how the 2025 playoffs shook out. The Celtics’ current payroll is not sustainable, and trades would be the most practical way to reach a more comfortable financial spot.
Appearing on “SportsCenter” on Tuesday, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported a league executive told him in Round 1 of the playoffs that he expected “major change” for Boston this summer. Spears took the report further by identifying a pair of teams that could end up working with Brad Stevens and company.
“The two teams I’m keeping an eye on for a couple of these guys perhaps, one, is the Houston Rockets,” Spears said. “Why? Ime Udoka is there. They’ve certainly been rumored to want to upgrade their roster and he knows these guys and they probably would be attracted to returning to play for him. Another team is the San Antonio Spurs. They got the No. 2 pick. I’m told the Spurs are quite happy with the talent that’s available at No. 2, but they’re gonna explore trades as well.”
Seemingly the most likely trade candidates for the C’s this offseason are Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who both are set to make over $30 million next season. It would have been virtually impossible for Boston to retain those salaries regardless of circumstance, but those steep costs now are especially impractical with Tatum likely out for the entire 2025-26 campaign.
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The Rockets and the Spurs might not be interested in absorbing either of those big salaries either, which could force Stevens to get creative as he tries to reshape Boston’s roster.
