The Boston Celtics enter the NBA offseason as one of the most interesting teams. They are just one season removed from winning the championship, but face an uncomfortable salary cap reality. Jayson Tatum suffering an Achilles tear during these playoffs only complicated the situation.
The Celtics will now explore some possibilities in the trade market that most would have previously thought impossible. With the new CBA in full effect, the margins are tighter than ever, and these effects will be seen across the league moving forward. ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that teams have begun calling and making offers for players like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. But does it make sense to trade these key pieces from the championship core?
Celtics Salary Cap Outlook:
The Boston Celtics are set to enter next season with 11 players under contract. This already tallies $228 million in committed contracts and puts them roughly $20 million over the second apron. This is without re-signing Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Remaining above the second luxury-tax apron limits their roster-building options notably. If this remains the case, the Celtics would not be able to aggregate contracts to trade for a single player, use trade exceptions from previous years, or absorb more salary than they send out in a trade. They also would not have access to use the mid-level or bi-annual exception, which are important tools for adding in the “middle class” of free agent options.
Building a sustainable contender is more difficult than ever in today’s NBA. While it is fair to critique the NBA for punishing teams who build their roster the “right” way by drafting and developing players just as Boston has, these are the rules all teams must play by.
The Celtics were over the second apron in 2024 as well, making this the second straight year. They are currently projected to have a $238 million luxury tax bill, pushing the team’s total spending near half a billion. With last year’s sale of the franchise and ownership change adding another interesting factor in this mix, there are more questions than answers for what is next for the Celtics. Even the most optimistic view on things concludes that they will need to get creative.
The Case for Trading Jaylen Brown:
The core of this entire conversation is rooted in the salary cap outlook, so unfortunately, we will be pocket watching in this article. Brown will enter the second season of his five-year, $286 million extension and is due to make $53.1 million next year. He is coming off another strong season in which he averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game and will be 29 years old at the start of next season.
The case for trading him is simple. He would likely fetch the largest return and could rebuild the cabinet of assets to build out another contending roster once Tatum is healthy. Winning is the best deodorant, but let’s not forget how large of a stink was made about the overlapping similarities of Brown and Tatum that had plenty questioning if they could get over the hump together. Tatum has been quite expressive and vocal about how much it means to play for the Celtics and how he hopes to spend his entire career there. While Brown has mostly said all the right things, even during turbulent times, he has not been quite as loud in his messaging.
Tatum’s injury is the driving force of these complications, but this was a fate Boston would have needed to address regardless. Even if he doesn’t play a game next season, Tatum is entering the first season of his five-year, $313.9 million extension with every cent still counting against the cap.
If there is any truth to the Celtics looking to break up the Brown and Tatum duo, now feels like their chance. With that said, the Eastern Conference will be wide open next year, and there is too much talent on this Celtics roster not to at least be in the postseason mix. If they can find a way to shed salary outside of Brown and turn the keys over to the former Finals MVP, their record will likely still be enviable to quite a few teams. Having Brown lead the charge until Tatum can return for the postseason could put them just about right where they started.
The Case for Trading Derrick White:
Every team in the NBA could use a player like White. The 30-year-old can scale his offensive role up or down depending on the context of the team around him and was integral to the championship run. This is also why there will be a strong market, as plenty of teams look to take the next step into being viewed as a contender.
White is also entering the first year of his four-year, $118 million contract and is set to make $28.1 million next season. The 18.17% of the salary cap this takes up is a completely tolerable dollar figure based on his caliber of talent, and much more movable than most of the other options they have on the board. The $32.4 million Jrue Holiday is due, or $30.7 million Kristaps Porzingis is set to be paid, would be much more preferable to trade. But this is also why the Celtics are sure to find more takers for a player like White.
This is also a situation in which the Celtics would almost certainly prefer having White still around for the next iteration of the contender they will design. Tatum is just 27 years old. Taking a small step back now to retool around him is the blueprint they are looking to lean on with this summer as the influx point of it. Sacrificing White as a salary cap casualty would be something they regret, with Boston sure to be back in the mix once Tatum is healthy. Weighing the short-term benefit of a trade versus the long-term impact of keeping White around is not the easiest line to walk.
Can Celtics Even Shed So Much Money?
The other key factor to keep in mind is that there were strict trade rules in the NBA in place even before the new CBA rules kicked in. This has been further complicated due to restrictions brought on by the salary cap and the apron situation that each individual team faces, but there are no straight-up “salary dumps” in a way Boston surely wishes were the case.
There are still intricacies that can be beneficial, however.
For example, Duncan Robinson is entering the final season of the five-year, $90 million contract he signed in the 2021 offseason. Robinson has the right to terminate his $19.88 million contract before June 29 to enter free agency, and the Heat could also waive Robinson by July 8 to only owe him $9.89 million for next season. It would take all parties being on the same page, but in theory, the Celtics could make a trade for Robinson and then release him to shave this dollar figure off the salary cap. Robinson is not the only player with his contract structured this way, but the options are not plentiful. Fred VanVleet holds a $44.9 million team option for next season, with the deadline for this decision set for June 29. The Celtics could potentially look to trade for VanVleet and then decline the team option, but it would take a key player being traded out to make this money work.
The next steps the Celtics elect to take will tell us a lot about the future outlook for the franchise. But it is clear that all options are still on the table, and they will weigh the short-term salary cap benefits for the long-term future they sacrifice with each of these key members.
Unfortunately, beggars can’t be choosers, and the Celtics’ decision may mostly be made for them based on interest around the league. Seeking out these types of salary cap loophole trades will surely be the goal, but the options are not plentiful, and it will then be on that team to choose their desired trade return. Even if Boston’s organizational preference would be to trade Porzingis and Holiday, if the market is nonexistent or just stronger for players like Brown or White, they do not have much of a choice.
Don’t be shocked if the Celtics are right back in the contending mix sooner than many are talking about, but buckle up for an interesting offseason in Boston.
The Celtics currently hold +2,000 odds of winning the 2026 NBA championship on DraftKings Sportsbook. They have the 10th-best odds in the league.
