A lot has changed for the Boston Celtics over the past few months. In the blink of an eye, they have gone from a surefire title contender to being a fringe playoff team heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
There are several reasons for this change. For starters, Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks, which will almost certainly hold him out for the entire season.
Once the offseason rolled around, the front office worked quickly to duck under the second apron of the NBA’s new salary cap. That resulted in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis getting traded, and Luke Kornet departing in free agency. While Al Horford remains on the open market, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he signs with another team too.
Guys like Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard are still in town, so at the very least, Boston should remain competitive. And while expectations aren’t high, Celtics insider Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston boldly predicted that, at the very least, the team would enjoy a hot start to the season.
“I think at Christmas, the Boston Celtics will be a top-four team in the Eastern Conference,” Forsberg said on “The Off C’season.” “I still think the Celtics are gonna just outkick expectations. We’re all gonna sit here and go, ‘Whoa, wait, I thought this was a gap year. I thought this was a soft tank. What’s happening?'”
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“They might ultimately crawl back a little bit, but they’re just too good for everyone to sit here and be all, ‘The Celtics are just gonna be like an eight seed or a play-in or in the lottery.'”
Even with the aforementioned departures, Boston still can field a competitive squad next season. It’s also worth noting that the Eastern Conference isn’t exactly loaded with talent, especially since Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers also ruptured his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
It feels like there are still moves for the Celtics to make this offseason, so it may be a bit premature to predict how their upcoming campaign will go. However, it’s best not to write them off just yet, as they could surprise some folks when they return to action.