The Celtics are bound to make some trades, possibly as soon as next week with the 2025 NBA Draft right around the corner. The C’s need to shed salary off their payroll as they will look different come training camp in a few months.
How they’re operating on the trade market is one of the more interesting questions as they do still have a talented core. ESPN’s Shams Charania, talking on The Pat McAfee Show, revealed the C’s are indeed viewing next season in a different light.
“How the Celtics are operating in this space right now is they’re looking at next year as a retooling year,” Charania said. “That doesn’t mean you don’t want to stay competitive. That doesn’t mean you want to continue. But, realistically, without Jayson Tatum, it’s going to be tough.”
Now, that’s no surprise the Celtics aren’t necessarily looking at the 2025-26 season as a contending season. Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon changed the equation as the first-team All-NBA talent will sit most, if not all, of next season. So, taking a season to retool allows the Celtics to look a few years down the line.
At the end of the day, Tatum is still 27 as he enters the prime year of his career even after the Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown is also 28 as he should also have some peak years still left in his career. Derrick White turns 31 next month, so he fits the Celtics’ timeline beyond just next season, as well.
How the Celtics retool is the big question in the coming weeks. Guys like Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser and Kristaps Porzingis have been in trade rumors. White and Brown have also been floated around in trade talks, though Charania mentioned it would take an “insurmountable” offer to land those stars.
The Celtics enjoyed a two-year window with the same team that resulted in the 2024 NBA championship. While they were upset in the second round to the Knicks, they still won 61 games as the defending champions. They faltered, though there was also some poor injury luck. Regardless, it’s time to pay the bill for the Celtics as this summer of change was inevitably on the docket with the current roster situation.