Following the Celtics playoff defeat, the team has a lot to balance this offseason. Notably, superstar Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear will keep him out well into next season, which leaves the team’s status as a perennial playoff contender in limbo. On top of this, the Celtics are “projected to pay more than $238 million in luxury tax bills alone,” and the new owners that recently bought the Celtics aren’t willing to pay all that money. By all accounts, the Celtics are in a jam, and what they do this offseason will be pivotal to their future success – or lack of.
The major hurdle to their offseason is the cap rules, which are severely punishing Celtics. First is the salary cap – the NBA levies certain organizational restrictions to certain teams the further they go over the salary cap, as to penalize big spenders and incentivize building a team from the ground up. This can range from not being able to use trade exceptions (which are very useful tools to facilitate trades with salary imbalances), or further along, not being able to trade two or more players at the same time as well as losing rights to draft picks. The Celtics are $20 million over the second apron, which makes them a victim to the strict penalties like losing the ability to package players in trades. On top of the luxury tax projected to make the Celtics the first $500 million roster, the C’s need to make some moves, and they have two major tasks to accomplish this offseason:
- Get underneath the second apron
- Build a competent team until Tatum is healthy for a playoff run.
The Celtics can go about this in a variety of ways, but the most viable and likely option would be the trading of Kristaps Porzingis and/or Jrue Holiday. Both are on $30 million contracts, and are aging; Jrue is 35 and Porzingis is 30 with a laundry list of injury issues. Finding a suitor for the two of them will be the biggest struggle, but mocks have predicted the Mavericks being a suitor for Jrue Holiday.
Bleacher Report mocked this trade between the two teams in which the Celtics would receive Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and a lottery protected 2029 first round pick. This is a generous haul for Jrue, which is why ClutchPoints’ mock trade makes more sense in terms of roster fit and value.
They mock a similar deal, sending Gafford, Prosper, and Klay Thompson instead of PJ Washington – the Celtics would give away Jrue and a lottery-protected 2027 first rounder. This works for both sides, as the Mavericks need perimeter defense and are in win-now mode, which can mask the fact they are trading for a 35-year-old. The Celtics acquire a much needed big man in Daniel Gafford, as Porzingis is also most likely on the move. Klay would likely be traded after this deal or part of a three-team deal in order to get the Celtics under the second apron, but if they remain under the salary cap after a Porzingis deal Klay could be a serviceable rotation piece that fits their three-point-heavy scheme.
The Celtics also have another problem- their age. It’s not a huge concern at the moment, but getting younger couldn’t hurt. That’s why Bleacher Report’s mock trade of Porzingis to the Pistons, while unfavorable for the Celtics, makes sense. The trade sends KP to the Pistons for Simone Fontecchio and Marcus Sasser. Porzingis is banged up, aging, and expensive. The Pistons have extra cap space and can eat Porzingis’ contract, swinging on a highly talented player to fuel their hopes of being a contender. For the Celtics, they’re not getting a great deal for their star center. However, the addition of Simone Fontecchio is similar to Klay’s as an older shooter who can be traded later on, or be a bench piece. Marcus Sasser is the highlight of the trade- a 24 year old who can be given the Pritchard treatment and develop into a solid guard piece. He’s already a 40% shooter and a solid defender, which makes him a good fit in Boston.
With these two trades, the Celtics are infinitely more flexible. They have assets to trade away, freeing cap space in the process. There are not many good fits available in free agency, although retaining Luke Kornet and some bottom of the bench players like Oshae Brissett should definitely happen. What the Celtics choose to do determines their future for years to come, as luxury tax and no cap space could be detrimental to the team’s success post-Tatum and Brown.
