The Jayson Tatum injury has prevented the Celtics from just running it back next season and hoping for different results. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens definitely would have toyed with the roster even had Tatum stayed healthy and the team fallen short of a second consecutive championship, but those adjustments could have been minor.
There is nothing minor about this offseason. Tatum’s absence allows the franchise to reset, and get younger and cheaper to prepare for the second halves of Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s careers.
What will be fascinating to watch are the futures of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, two megastars who could be on the move as their franchises decide to rebuild. The Bucks financially cannot transform back into a championship contender around Antetokounmpo. The franchise hoped acquiring Kyle Kuzma to replace the often-injured Khris Middleton would spark the Bucks along with the final prime years of Damian Lillard, but Lillard tore his Achilles’ in the playoff series against Indiana and Kuzma proved no cornerstone.
The Suns still haven’t hired a coach; it appears they will get a first-timer to lead the franchise. Durant is in the final year of his contract at $54 million and is their most marketable player and looking for another shot at a championship.
The fates of those two players could determine how other teams maneuver, including the Celtics. Any move Boston makes the next few months will be designed to reduce salary, and there are several teams that will be under the salary cap that have the ability to facilitate deals.
The No. 1 trade target could be the Nets. With just $53 million in committed salaries next season, they likely can participate in any three-team deal because they can withstand expiring contracts.
The Rockets have to decide whether to pick up their $44 million option on Fred VanVleet. Unlikely, which will give them considerable space for a potential Antetokounmpo or Durant trade to acquire another superstar. Other clubs with space are the Pistons, Hornets, Spurs, and Hawks, all of whom are trying to make steps into playoff contention.
The Spurs are an interesting team because they are perhaps a player away from being a factor in the Western Conference, but are going to have to acquire such a player soon given looming extensions for De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle. That means younger veterans such as Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan could be made available.
The Rockets are in a similar position; eventually, they’ll have to commit major money to re-signing Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason, as well as prospects Cameron Whitmore and Reed Sheppard. The Pistons will watch Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder, and will eventually have to make extension decisions on Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, and Ron Holland.
Since these teams are not a maximum salary slot under the cap, acquiring a superstar will likely require a trade. This year’s free agent class isn’t bustling with franchise cornerstones, anyway, with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden all expected to return to their respective teams.
The Timberwolves have a player option on Julius Randle, while Indiana’s Myles Turner will be an unrestricted free agent. The remaining free agents are either restricted or role players.
That could mean considerable player movement through trades, including younger players whose salaries may be more conducive for payroll-paring teams such as the Celtics.
There is a definite market for standout defensive ace Jrue Holiday, and the Celtics are likely going to have to part with major contributors from the 2024 championship team — Kristaps Porzingis is on an expiring contract — because the second apron says so. But they’re likely going to have to wait and see what happens with those big chips first.
While even NBA players not considered stars are making generational wealth, the new collective bargaining agreement has encouraged player movement because of the limits and long-term penalties of the first and second aprons. Draft night is usually when flurries of deals begin.
In other words, June could be an exciting month for the Celtics faithful, but not for the reason they expected a few months ago.
WINNING IS HARD
Troubling ouster for
Edwards, Timberwolves
The Timberwolves surprisingly advanced to the Western Conference finals last year before losing to the Mavericks. After a troublesome season, Minnesota returned before being thumped by the top-seeded Thunder.
The series wasn’t really close, and the Timberwolves — despite the presence of superstar Anthony Edwards — will have to devise a way to compete in the Western Conference with the Lakers, Nuggets, Clippers, Spurs, Mavericks, and Warriors all chasing them. Meanwhile, the Thunder will be significant favorites to repeat as conference champions.
“One thing we’ve learned about the league, it looked promising for Boston a year ago. It looked promising for Milwaukee for a few years,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “The league is so hard right now. Obviously, health factors into it, roster construction, being able to afford the tax, all these things come into play at some point and that’s why you got to go for it now, you really do. Every year in the moment, you have to go for it right now.”
The Timberwolves window is right now, especially with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and 37-year-old Mike Conley, who has yet to reach the NBA Finals in his 18-year career. Conley is one of just four players remaining from the 2007 draft, and Kevin Durant, Al Horford, and Jeff Green all have won championships.
“We all wanted to go all the way and win it for Mike Conley as much as anybody else in the locker room, what he’s meant to us, who he is as a person,” Finch said. “We still back him next year and the key is to get there as many times as possible. It’s very hard to do. Maybe it works out for Mike in a different way. Maybe he wins one as a coach. Maybe he wins one as a general manager.”
Conley didn’t hide his emotions.
“It hurts, it hurts,” he said. “I don’t think anybody can feel what I feel. I can’t ask them to feel that because they haven’t been around as long, seen the few opportunities you get at this chance. For me, it’s going to take a while to dissect what we just did and what we weren’t able to accomplish but at the same time I’m proud of my team, proud of my guys, they really fought. I appreciate them more than anything and we’re going to try this thing again next year.”
The Thunder defense blitzed Edwards, getting the ball out of his hands. He attempted just 87 shots in the five games — 17.4 per game, three below his regular-season average — and he shot 28.2 percent from the 3-point line. That impacted the entire Minnesota offense, and it just couldn’t compete.
“[Edwards] has to learn to play against that physicality, that kind of holding all the time,” Finch said. “They made it really hard for him and I thought for most of the series, he made the right play. We were never able to establish something consistent with him.”
Edwards said he wants no part of being the face of the NBA, and that perhaps is one of the reasons for his sometimes-cavalier attitude toward the game. He didn’t exactly handle the loss like most franchise cornerstones.
“It’s exciting. I don’t think why people would think it hurts. It’s exciting for me,” he said. “I’m 23. I get to do it a whole bunch of times. Hurt is a terrible word to use. I’m good. I’m going to work my butt off this summer. Nobody is going to work harder than me.”
The good news for Minnesota is it eventually benefited from the Karl-Anthony Towns trade as the season progressed. Randle and Donte DiVincenzo blended into the offense and the No. 6 seeds played their best basketball in the final month, knocking off the Lakers and Warriors before running into the Thunder.
They could run it back, but the Western Conference is so treacherous that it’s unlikely the same team will get the same results.
“It was definitely a challenging season,” Finch said. “We played our best basketball when it mattered. I’m excited. We’ve got a lot of young players that probably didn’t get the run they should have.
“Next year will be extremely hard in the West. A great season might be 42-40. I do think we’ve found some stuff that we can repeat. We need to lengthen the rotation. I’m pretty excited about that. We got beat by a better team. The better team won this series and I’m proud of our guys and our organization for getting here.”
Cavaliers say
they’ll be back
Remember way back in April when a Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference finals appeared a foregone conclusion? Well not only did the Celtics falter, the Cavaliers were completely dominated by the Pacers in five games.
Cleveland can partly blame injury for its downfall, but Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter all missed Game 2 with essentially minor dings. Critics questioned the team’s toughness and desire to be elite.
The Cavaliers responded to win Game 3 in Indiana, but were thumped in Games 4 and 5, an embarrassing ending for a team some thought would unseat the Celtics.
Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman re-signed Donovan Mitchell, Mobley, Garland, and Jarrett Allen to give the franchise a reliable base. They still have to take the next step because they faltered after a 64-win regular season.
Two years ago, this core was eliminated by the Knicks in the first round. Last season, the Celtics beat a shorthanded Cavaliers team in five games. This season, there were no excuses, and they were still not competitive in a series as the favored team.
“I love our foundation. I love our core,” Altman said. “Our starting lineup’s average age is 26.8. They’re going through these experiences. They’re going through these battles and we’re sustainable. It can’t be just 82 games. We have to figure out the next 16. We have to get over the hump. There’s a mental toughness that you have to have to get going through these failures in the playoffs.”
The Pacers were better than a fourth seed. They are on the verge of the NBA Finals, but they punched the Cavaliers twice in the first two games in Cleveland and then trounced them in Game 4. The series wasn’t competitive, and it exposed the Cavaliers as a potentially fraudulent No. 1 seed.
“It wasn’t like we were getting shoved around, but there’s a mental toughness that we have to get to that the Pacers had,” Altman said. “A lot of the Pacers had that experience. We haven’t got there yet. At the end of some of those games, that’s what we saw. It’s going to eat at us, it’s going to haunt us. Of course, it was physical. It was the mental piece and we’re going to get there as we continue the pursuit.”
Altman made the decision to fire coach J.B. Bickerstaff because of his troubled relationship with Mitchell. Kenny Atkinson took the job, opened up the offense, and turned the combination of Mitchell and Garland into one of the league’s top backcourts. But even after they annihilated the Heat, they still were rattled by the playoff moment. The team’s brass has to figure out why.
“Because we were so good, we created the expectations of Finals, which is a new space for us,” Altman said. “A freshness there. OK, now you’re the No. 1 team in the East. We want to live in that space and that’s why everyone’s disappointed. We’re not going to go anywhere. This team is not getting any worse, knowing we have to change that narrative.”
The primary focus of the offseason is the improvement of Defensive Player of the Year Mobley. The centerpiece of their future showed great offensive potential, but his minutes have been fewer than other frontline starters. He averaged about 34 in his first two NBA seasons, but that has dropped to 30.5 in the past two.
The Cavaliers want him to be more of a workhorse who can score, defend, and avoid foul trouble. The franchise has prioritized his development and upside over Allen, who has leveled off in the past few years.
“We think we have one of the best big men in the game in Evan Mobley,” Altman said. “Evan Mobley is 23 years old. He’s going to break through at some point. This is his third playoff. He’s still figuring out this high usage. That internal growth is something we’ve banked on.”
The Cavaliers still believe they’ll be a major factor in the East for the next few years. With the Celtics losing Jayson Tatum for perhaps all of next season, there will be opportunities for other contenders to emerge, but the question is whether Cleveland can make a push without any significant changes. Can the Cavaliers just run it back and hope for different results?
Altman said the team is willing to go into the second salary cap apron to win a championship.
“As you lean even more into what we’re building and the culture that we have here, the internal growth, the youth, I think there’s a championship window that we have here that’s wide open,” Altman said. “And it’s one we’re going to try to pursue next year and the year after and the year after. We’re not done by any stretch.”
It looks like the Suns are going to hire a first-time head coach to take the place of the fired Mike Budenholzer. Longtime Miami assistant Chris Quinn along with Oklahoma City assistant Dave Bliss have interviewed, as the franchise looks to take a new direction after a few disappointing years. The Suns have the league’s most expensive payroll heading into 2025-26, but are looking to move former MVP Kevin Durant, who is entering the final year of his contract at $54 million. The Suns would love to move Bradley Beal, but not only does he have a no-trade clause, he has a player option for $57 million in 2026-27 … The Nets have the salaries of Ben Simmons, D’Angelo Russell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and De’Anthony Melton all coming off the books, and only have two players signed past the 2025-26 season, swingman Cameron Johnson and center Nicolas Claxton. The Nets could use their cap space to acquire salaries and draft assets, as the Thunder did a few years ago, then make a maximum offer in 2026-27 or go after a premium player through trade. This is not a stacked free agent class, with players such as Fred VanVleet, Julius Randle, and John Collins potentially available. The Nets could acquire more draft assets, and perhaps an expiring contract, and prepare for the class of 2026.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
