In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics are #2 seed. They defeated the Orlando Magic 4-1 in their first round series. Boston faces the New York Knicks in the semi-finals of the conference.
The Celtics are fully invested in this playoff run, but they know that changes could occur this offseason. ESPN’s Shamzcharania reported that the league “stifles some degree of change” on the Celtics roster from 2025-26. There will be a $500 million salary bill next season. Charania hopes to see Boston “exploring trade options” this offseason.
What will the Celtics roster look like in 2025-26?
“The rest of the league supports some change to come to the Celtics from this offseason roster.” 👀
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 ))
– nbacentral (@thedunkcentral) May 1, 2025
Prior to the 2023-24 season, the Celtics were all in. They traded for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and knew they needed to make a decision in the future. Boston did this and raised the team to championship level. The Celtics did just that in the 2024 postseason, winning the NBA Finals. In 2024-25, Boston regained roughly the same roster.
They are trying to earn cash in time away from this player’s nucleus. ESPN’s Shama Charania noted that the Celtics have a historic decision to make this offseason. He said Boston currently has five players with over 28 million players next season. Plus, the team’s pay bill is $500 million. Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown both make more than $50 million. They are the cornerstones of the franchise and are not traded.
Potential trade candidates include Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Porzigis is expected to make $30 million next season and $32.4 million on holidays. If Boston wins a back-to-back championship, the decision will be much more difficult. Boston wants to break out of the second tax apron in the league’s CBA. The Celtics have been there for three seasons, with Shamacharania predicting change. The easiest way to do that is to trade Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Holiday. We’ll have to wait for what the Celtics will do when the 2025 playoffs end.