Ranking Celtics' Top Trade Targets After 2025 NBA Playoff Loss
The Boston Celtics were already barreling toward an uncertain 2025 NBA offseason.
But now their future looks significantly trickier to navigate.
The Celtics fell to the New York Knicks in six games during the second round of the playoffs, as they were eliminated with a 119-81 defeat in Game 6 on Friday.
Their payroll had become untenable under the league's collective bargaining agreement, to the point that ESPN's Shams Charania reported on the Pat McAfee Show the team would be "exploring trade options this offseason." And that was under the assumption that Boston would rank favorably among next season's title contenders.
What about now? The Celtics were just knocked out of the second round and could be without superstar Jayson Tatum for all of next season following his Achilles tear.
Could that steer Boston toward making even more significant cuts than expected? That depends how big of a step back this leadership group is willing to risk. The Celtics could still chase some big fish, but perhaps they'll prioritize cost-cutting moves above all else. We'll examine all options while identifying their top three trade targets for the offseason.
3. Draft Picks
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The league's CBA is built to punish its biggest spenders. One potential workaround is by finding as much young, cost-controlled talent as possible.
Having already shipped out their next six second-round picks while also agreeing to a couple of future first-round pick swaps, Boston should be on the hunt for some draft assets. And it could pave a path to several, though that would require giving up a rotation regular or two.
Win-now shoppers would be all over a proven two-way contributor like Jrue Holiday. Shooting-starved squads might welcome the arrival of Sam Hauser. Teams with full trust in their training staffs could even convince themselves to take a stab at Kristaps Porziņģis and all the availability concerns that come along with him.
The Celtics have leaned on all three of these players, though, so they'd need to be confident (or, at the very least, extremely hopeful) that the picks brought back in trades would deliver ready-made rotation players.
2. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
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With Tatum perhaps lost for next season but presumably capable of leading the campaigns beyond it, Boston might covet young players to develop (and drop the payroll) now and then complement Tatum going forward.
Smith would be a prime candidate for that exact role.
The 22-year-old is a versatile defender who doubles as a helpful, low-maintenance support piece on the offensive end. His blend of size (6'11", 220 lbs) and shooting (35.9 percent from three over this season and last) should be particularly enticing to a team that favors the three-ball and needs frontcourt reinforcements with Porziņģis and 38-year-old Al Horford both logical candidates to subtract this summer.
With Houston perhaps hunting for established players to help its young core be better prepared for its next playoff test, the Rockets might be willing to help the Celtics' payroll-reducing desires. Plus, head coach Ime Udoka is as familiar with Boston's locker room as anyone having previously coached this club.
1. Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs (and the No. 2 Pick)
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Between Boston's messy financial picture, and the very real threat that the 2025-26 season is already a lost cause, the Celtics could consider shaking things up more than a trade involving Holiday or Porziņģis would. Especially since those players have uncertain trade values given the former's age (35 in June) and the latter's availability issues.
Could the Celtics actually stomach the idea of moving Jaylen Brown? One could argue their situation suddenly looks dire enough to at least consider the possibility—for the proverbial right price, of course.
Brown has some limitations in his game, but he's still an in-prime, four-time All-Star. Even with his colossal contract, he should hold substantial appeal around the Association. He might look particularly attractive to a team like the Spurs, who have the requisite talent to justify an acceleration and the assets to pursue it. Not to mention, their best player, Victor Wembanyama, still has two more seasons of collecting rookie-scale wages.
If the Celtics would consider dealing Brown—and that's, admittedly, an enormous if—then their first phone call should be to the Spurs. It's always tricky to determine a star's worth in trade, but the No. 2 pick and a rock-solid 24-year-old in Vassell (who appears, at worst, to be a high-end three-and-D wing) feels like the right foundation for such a major trade.
