The Boston Celtics lost at least four key players in the offseason, which may have fans assuming that president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is done subtracting for a little while. That being said, if Stevens has a goal to get under the NBA’s luxury tax, he might be eyeing further moves before the trade deadline in February. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently talked about this in a piece entitled, “1 Overreaction to Every NBA Team’s First Game of the 2025-26 Season”, in which Bailey also named the two Celtics players who would most likely be trade chips if Stevens did indeed proceed with further cost-cutting maneuvers. Bailey also asserted that Stevens could be pushed in that direction if the Celtics aren’t as competitive as expected between now and the deadline. “Despite a truly dreadful Joel Embiid performance … and the absence of Paul George, the Boston Celtics gave up a late, nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 117-116, on opening night,” Bailey wrote. Story continues below advertisement “And if they’re going to struggle to contain guards like they did on Wednesday … the temptation to shed even more salary is going to be strong,” “Right now, Boston is within $12.1 million of ducking the luxury tax,” Bailey continued. “And if the Celtics are going to have a sub-.500 season, they might well chase it. That could mean players like Anfernee Simons and/or Sam Hauser could be on the move prior to February’s trade deadline.” Simons is making $27.7 million this season on an expiring contract. Hauser is making $10 million this season during the first year of a four-year, $45 million extension he signed in July 2024. Story continues below advertisement One would think that Simons is the more likely player to be moved. Besides Simons representing a bigger chunk of cap space, his expiring deal could appeal to a contender as a rental situation during a title chase. Hauser’s history in Boston — which includes having been part of the 2024 title team — makes keeping him a logical choice, although he would have more than a handful of suitors if Stevens floated him out into the market.