The Boston Celtics have done plenty of heavy lifting this offseason to overhaul their roster. But that doesn’t mean their work is done.
After replacing four members of their 2024 championship core — Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), Luke Kornet (free agency) and Al Horford (expected to sign elsewhere) — with the likes of Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang, Luka Garza and Josh Minott, the Celtics shed a significant amount of salary but still are barely over the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax.
As president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has clearly stated, Boston’s goal is to get under that second apron to avoid punitive-building roster penalties, which means at least one minor move is coming. But with superstar Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Stevens and Co. could opt for more drastic changes to further cut costs and reset the roster.
“You still have salary to trim, even if it’s just a little to get off that second apron,” Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg explained Thursday on Arbella Early Edition. “I just think there’s going to be bigger cuts.”
The C’s also are heavy on guards and wings but light in the frontcourt, which currently features Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., Garza and rookie Amari Williams. So from a practical standpoint, it would make sense to explore trading for a big man.
“I do look at this roster, and it’s still a little bit unbalanced,” Forsberg said. “We’ve got to see what emerges in that frontcourt. I think there’s some tinkering left to do here if the right deals emerge.”
Recent additions Simons and Niang — who are making $27.7 million and $8.2 million, respectively, on expiring contracts in 2025-26 — are logical trade candidates, while Sam Hauser’s name has been floated in rumors as well. The question is what the market looks like for these players, and whether Stevens feels there’s more value in waiting until the season to explore potential deals.
“I think Brad was pretty honest when he when he met with us last week and said they don’t want to sacrifice draft assets to move off money,” Forsberg added. “But I do think as you get into the season, some of those conversations will change, and teams’ needs will change around the league, and maybe that will open up opportunities.”
Regardless of how that market develops, Forsberg believes we’ll see at least one more shoe drop in Boston over the next few months.
“I would be very surprised if the roster we see here on July 17th is the same one that’s there on October 17th when the team tips off the season,” he added.
Check out Forsberg’s full discussion with Trenni Casey and Kayla Burton on Early Edition below.
