The Boston Celtics will draw a hard line as they navigate the potential big changes in the offseason in the wake of their rising payroll.
According to Jay King of The Athletic, the Celtics’ front office, helmed by president Brad Stevens, will not just trade away the team’s key veterans for pennies.
“Even if the Celtics trade at least one starter, don’t expect them to do so in a pure salary dump. They are more likely to look to acquire young talent to supplement the current core,” King wrote.
Their starting five — Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis — will combine for close to $200 million next season. The elder statesman of the team, 38-year-old Al Horford, is an unrestricted free agent.
The NBA salary cap for next season is $154.6 million, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, with the luxury tax threshold at $187.9 million. The first apron is at $195.9 million and the second apron limit at $207.8 million.
Derrick White Hints at Boston Breakup
Ramblings about the Celtics plan to break their expensive core that will cost a staggering $500 million, including luxury tax penalties, have started long before their second-round exit.
“The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics roster this offseason,” ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on May 1. “Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason.
“This iteration just is not going to be sustainable for this team and no one around the organization – from players to staffers – would be surprised if there are changes coming to this roster. Because when you think about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there’s restrictions that come with trades, there’s restrictions that come with freezing of draft picks. That’s all stuff that they’re dealing with right now.”
White’s postgame comments after the Celtics’ second-round exit confirmed Charania’s report.
“It sucks, we’re never getting this season back,” White told reporters on Friday following their 119-81 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6. “We’re never going to have the exact same team again.”
Tatum’s Achilles injury that would keep him out for most, if not the entire next season, makes the Celtics less of a contender, even if they run it back.
Kristaps Porzingis on the Way Out?
Getty Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is generating trade buzz.
Porzingis, who was a non-factor in the playoffs, could become the casualty of their cost-cutting measures.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Sunday that Porzingis is generating trade buzz.
“Most rival teams continue to regard Kristaps Porziņģis as the most movable Boston vet thanks to the Latvian big man’s $30.7 million expiring contract,” Stein wrote in his Substack newsletter, “The Stein Line.”
The 29-year-old Latvian big man has a $30.7 million expiring salary next season which makes him a valuable trade chip.
After playing a pivotal role in the Celtics championship run last year, his first season in Boston, Porzingis was a non-factor in this year’s playoffs that hastened their early playoff exit.
A mysterious respiratory illness made him virtually unplayable in the Celtics’ second-round loss.
The 7-foot-1 center averaged just 15.5 minutes per game, producing only 4.2 points on 24% shooting.
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