The Celtics are under a week away from the NBA trade deadline and have hit a bit of a lull, going 6-6 in their last 12 games. The trade market is heating up around the league with Giannis Antetokounmpo available, but Boston has their own star to worry about in the weeks to come. Let’s answer a couple of questions on that in this week’s mailbag.
**If Tatum doesn’t play this season (possible setback), does that give Brad Stevens extra incentive to shed salary and reset below the first apron? Does moving Tillman and Boucher get the Celtics under the apron? — Matt**
It’s a fascinating question that certainly adds an extra layer to the front office’s plans. The premise of the Celtics being a buyer this trade deadline stems largely from the thought process that Jayson Tatum would be available for this time at some point in the next two months. Without him, it’s hard to envision the Celtics getting out of the Eastern Conference without a major upgrade, which may or may not be available in the coming week for what Boston is willing to offer.
If the Celtics don’t think they can realistically put together an East contender without Tatum, it’s fair to think about going the other way at this trade deadline from a financial perspective at least. Cutting some salary will lead to some significant repeater tax savings and getting out from the luxury tax altogether starts the process of setting the repeater clock. Those moves won’t play well publicly unless there is some useful (but cheaper talent) coming back, but that’s still very much a path this team could go down with or without Tatum available. Him potentially not coming back probably only increases those odds.
Moving on from Tillman and Boucher will only make a slight dent since Boston is $12 million over the luxury tax line currently and would need to refill those roster spots regardless. Moving a bigger name (Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser) with a bigger salary would be the path to pulling that off, if the Celtics go that route. A case could be made for staying the course with this group (with some cheap frontcourt help) if the budget allows for it but I expect the Celtics to make some moves with the future in mind next week.
**Jayson Tatum recently expressed some trepidation about rejoining this team because the Celtics are playing well and he wonders where he fits in. Some (most) commentators think this is crazy. I have a theory - or at least some questions.**
**This reminds me of when Gordon Hayward returned after his injury. As you may recall, the Celtics team went to the Eastern Conference finals where they lost in seven games to eventual champions Cleveland Cavaliers led by Lebron James. This was a team that was missing its two mega stars - Hayward and Kyrie Irving. I think this team, sans stars, felt it had proven something.**
**The next year Irving and Hayward return and are given starting jobs. Coach Brad Stevens often played Hayward even when he did not perform as well as other Celtics such as Brown and Tatum. They resented this, naturally, and it created a rift with the team on top of the rift that Irving created.**
**I don’t think Tatum wants to be “that guy” - meaning he doesn’t want to be a Gordon Hayward, given playing time ahead of players who have played well enough to be second place. He doesn’t deserve it, in his mind, and doesn’t want it to be given to him. — Tom B**
It’s an interesting comparison Tom. Hayward obviously missed the whole season after his ankle injury and it took a full season for him to get back to form afterwards. Tatum did see that firsthand so it would be intriguing to see whether any of that weighs on him now as he considers his next move.
A big difference between those teams I will say is this 2025-26 group is a lot less talented than that 2018-19 group, at least on paper. This has been Tatum’s team for year now and even if he’s not at his best, he will be able to help this group. Hayward was taking away minutes from proven NBA starters and emerging All-Stars. That won’t be the case upon Tatum’s return. However, if he doesn’t feel like himself or ready for a reduced role (per Celtics trainers) that obviously could give him pause. It’d be stunning for me for him to sit out due to concerns about on-court chemistry. This group has surprised, but it isn’t good enough for Tatum to decline returning for that reason.