For the past three seasons, the Boston Celtics have been among the best teams in the league. They sit comfortably six games ahead of second place in the Eastern Conference this season. As long as their top-6 players are available, the guys in green should be regarded as the clear favorites to win the championship.
Why then are we discussing trades?
Howard Beck of The Ringer claims that several elite clubs may soon have to face the consequences of their salary caps. Next season, the new CBA will be completely implemented, and teams who make more than the second salary apron will face harsh penalties. In addition to the increased obstacles to team-building (such as the elimination of free agent exceptions and the prohibition on salary aggregation in trades), teams that fail to reach the apron three out of five years will have their future first-round picks locked (and eventually relocated to the end of the round).
Even if they were to win the championship, it would be difficult to retain Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White forever, according to Beck. “Is it necessary to let go of a gifted role player like Holiday?”
Most likely, the answer to Beck’s query is “no.” Holiday is expected to earn $35 million this season, with a $37 million player option for the next one. The most likely scenario for that looming option is that he declines it in favor of a two- or three-season extension that would pay roughly $30 million annually.
Boston would probably gladly pay that for their defensive main man. Furthermore, in the event that management anticipated a future improvement, that contract would be movable.
A few circumstances might cause that computation to vary. If Holiday has greater demands than that, he will almost certainly have to leave, either by choosing to enter the league without an extension plan, which would likely force Boston to look for a trade partner, or by declining his player option to become a free agency. So far, Holiday has only stated that he is fully committed to securing an extension. Cross your fingers.
If Boston struggles in the postseason, they might pursue Holiday in a different way. If everyone remained healthy, it would need to be an extremely severe collapse to demonstrate that this was not a championship squad. That is unlikely.
An NBA executive who is Beck’s source believes Boston needs to “figure out who’s expendable and who’s not.”
I respond with, “Not yet.”
NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports The Celtics will undoubtedly run the table again next year. Although adding higher-paid free agents and making midseason trades will become more difficult when Jaylen Brown’s extension takes effect, teams that have competitive rosters don’t need to do so much. The only players who could leave Boston as free agents this summer are Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Xavier Tillman, Oshae Brissett (player option), and Holiday (player option). Of those guys, only Holiday is a truly key member of the rotation.
Therefore, no, it’s not time to consider whether Holiday is “expendable.” This is a fantastic team that should not change much till the next season.
However, Beck also mentioned that Boston may be trying to part ways with Jaylen Brown shortly, with the assistance of a Western Conference official.
Nobody believes Brown will be relocated this summer, especially with Boston holding the top spot, according to Beck. “But the Celtics will eventually have to deal with the new CBA’s financial realities.”
This one is challenging because Boston’s primary contender for a title is Jaylen Brown. If he were to leave this Celtics team, there would be insufficient talent, wing defense, and shot creation for the club to win the championship.
But let’s fast-forward to the offseason of 2025. Perhaps the Celtics have finally accomplished what they have been trying so hard to accomplish—winning Banner 18 (or 19?). At 39 years old, Al Horford is bidding farewell to an amazing career, leaving a void in Boston’s frontcourt that will take some time to fill. With a year remaining on his contract, Holiday is 35 years old. Boston must choose how much to offer Derrick White, who is probably worth more after two seasons of toying with the idea of being an All-Star.
Remember that Tatum will begin his supermax extension during that particular season. His pay, along with that of Brown and Porzingis, will come in close to the $140 million salary cap.
It will be very hard to fill the rest of the roster at that point. Not that the Celtics will need to trade for Brown in order to field a squad, but they simply cannot afford to lose everyone. You can begin to understand the point that Beck’s sources are making.
An official told The Ringer that if they decide to sell Brown, “Jaylen would set the record for the biggest return.” “It ought to be a Durant-style agreement.”
A little more than a year ago, Kevin Durant was traded for four first-round selections, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Jae Crowder. Boston would save money and acquire a ton of picks while maintaining its competitiveness with that kind of return.
Once more, it’s too soon to consider making a deal this size. However, Brad Stevens is undoubtedly considering the team’s cap situation, so we ought to be as well.
Leave a Reply