On paper, the Boston Celtics roster is weaker than last season.
In 2024, the Boston Celtics will hoist the glorious Larry O’Brien trophy, finally ending a 16-season championship drought.
However, the 2024-25 NBA season did not go well for the Celtics. After all, their cornerstone superstar Jayson Tatum injured his Achilles tendon.
As a result, Tatum is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season. With that in mind, head coach Joe Mazzula will have a hard time getting his team into the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.
Jaylen Brown is expected to be the team’s main star in Tatum’s absence. Many believe Brown is not ready to take on such a responsibility during the 2025-26 season.
Despite the cloud of doubt hanging over the C’s, the front office has added several additions to the roster to help Brown.
Here are all the additions the Celtics made for next season.
- Chris Boucher (signed as a free agent)
- Luka Garza (signed as a free agent)
- Josh Minott (signed as a free agent)
- Anfernee Simons (traded from Portland Trail Blazers)
The addition of Anfernee Simons is arguably the most exciting move by GM Brad Stevens. Now, it’s up to Mazzula to find a place for Simmons in the Celtics’ lineup for the 2025-26 season.
With the NBA’s second apron rules as strict as they are now, the Celtics needed to blow up their championship core to save on the luxury tax.
As a result, the Celtics parted ways with defensive giant Jrue Holiday. They also traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.
With that in mind, here are all the departing players from the Celtics roster this summer.
- Jrue Holiday (traded to Portland Trail Blazers)
- Kristaps Porzingis (traded to Atlanta Hawks)
- Georges Niang (traded to Utah Jazz)
- Luke Cornett (left as free agent)
- JD Davidson (fired)
The Celtics appear to be planning on taking a gap year until Tatum returns from injury. However, it will be interesting to see if the players on the roster feel the same way about next season.