Biggest Needs and Bold Predictions for Boston Celtics' 2025 NBA Offseason
Less than a year after winning the 2024 NBA Finals, Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles and the Boston Celtics' early exit from the 2025 playoffs has the organization at an unexpected crossroads.
Without their best player for (presumably) all of 2025-26, it may be hard to justify having the most expensive roster in the league.
Will Boston look to trade a star or two (or three)? Will this upcoming season be a gap year? Will the Celtics mostly run it back and hope Tatum makes a miraculous recovery in time for the playoffs?
Or, will they find some way to thread a needle between the extremes?
Below, we'll look into our crystal ball and address some of Boston's needs.
The Celtics Need to Duck the Second Apron...
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Even before making any moves this summer, the Celtics are roughly $20 million over the dreaded second apron.
Among other things, that means they could have a hefty luxury tax bill coming, can't aggregate outgoing salaries in trades and can't take back more money than they send out.
That is, unless, they're able to make enough moves to shed north of $20 million in 2025-26 salary.
The quickest path there might be moving Jaylen Brown's $53.1 million to a team with enough cap space to absorb a big chunk of his deal, but moving the 2024 Finals MVP feels a little drastic, especially since he and Tatum have had so much playoff success together.
There aren't many lifers in today's NBA, but Tatum and Brown still feel like Boston lifers.
If they're out as possibilities to get under that line, others could be on the move.
...and Will Make Multiple Trades
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Kristaps Porziลฤฃis and Jrue Holiday, on the other hand, though not quite mercenaries, only recently joined the team. Moving them will be easier on a sentimental level. KP's contract expiring after 2025-26 helps, too.
Moving either or both for younger players who haven't quite made their mark yet makes too much sense not too happen.
Sam Hauser's outside shooting and reasonable contract could make him a target for plenty of teams around the league, too.
Boston finding a way to move up in the 2025 draft doesn't feel out of the question, either. They have the No. 28 pick right now, but they could pair that with a second and one of the above to land someone a bit higher in the first round.
With Tatum out in 2025-26, this coming season could be big for the development of young players.
Expect all of the above to lead to multiple deals this summer.
Boston Will Keep Jaylen Brown
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This was alluded to already, but despite Brown and Tatum both being under 30, they've already stacked up an impressive dual resume.
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign (Brown's first in the NBA), he and Tatum are fourth and first, respectively in playoff points. Over the same stretch, they switch spots for the playoff wins leaderboard. Brown is first, while Tatum is fourth (mostly because Tatum entered the league a year later).
In short, this is one of the most successful duos in the league. Neither stacks up the kind of gaudy stat lines that help attract attention to Nikola Jokiฤ, Luka Donฤiฤ or Giannis Antetokounmpo, but playoff wins are the ultimate indicator.
And even if Tatum misses all of 2025-26, there's plenty of time for both to keep adding to their totals beyond then.
But They Need to Get Him Some Short-Term Help
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Given the ongoing imbalance between the NBA's Western and Eastern Conferences, Boston could probably make a handful of salary-shedding trades and still comfortably make the 2026 playoffs.
Even without Tatum, they're likely to have at least two star-level wings or guards in Brown and Derrick White. The latter obviously can't make up for everything Tatum provides, but his game can scale up from what it currently is.
Those two and Payton Pritchard make up a solid foundation, but Porziลฤฃis, Holiday and/or Hauser deals would likely return some short-term help, too.
A small handful of three-and-D role players could help Boston bridge the gap between 2024-25 and 2026-27.
Al Horford Will Come Back For One More Year
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Al Horford hasn't committed one way or the other on retirement, but he turns 39 in June. And if Boston is going to be forced into something of a gap year by Tatum's injury, it might make sense to walk away now.
He's been a key cog on several great NBA teams, including the 2024 champions. His all-around game has fit in well with the center revolution of recent years. And he's been way above average for long enough to have a decent shot at the Hall of Fame.
But, as previously stated, the Celtics should still have a realistic path to the playoffs even without Tatum. And Horford's leadership, outside shooting and passing would make that path a little clearer.
A return for one last ride (OK, maybe two, just so he can play with Tatum again) on the veteran minimum would benefit both sides.
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