The Boston Celtics will surely look like a different team next year, given their current cap situation and disappointing series loss to the New York Knicks in six games. The team expected to repeat as champions and went all-in, but came up short in just the second round.
That makes the real question for the team who will return next season, rather than whether changes will be made.
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The current starting lineup is Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis. Of those five players, only one seems certain to be back next year.
Tatum is guaranteed to be back given his new extension is kicking in, and he is injured. Not only will the Celtics not want to move on from him, but no team will be eager to trade for him at the moment.
That leaves the other four potentially on the chopping block. It seems possible, but is probably unlikely, that Jaylen Brown will be moved this offseason. If the right deal rolls around, Stevens could decide to massively retool the roster instead of making smaller moves to round out the roster.
However, this team was built around Tatum and Brown, so that will likely continue moving forward.
Derrick White was the next valuable piece for the team. Given his seamless fit into any roster, it seems highly unlikely he will be moved either. He is also a fan favorite, so many fans would be upset if the team decided to move him.
That leaves Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as expendable starters. Both have question marks moving forward, but have shown enough where other teams would be happy to take a risk with them.
Holiday is declining and entering his age-35 season, so if the Celtics want to be more future-focused, moving him would make sense. He is still one of the best defensive guards in the league, so any contending team would be happy to have the two-time champion.
Porzingis is a bit more complicated, as it is uncertain why his play looked so down in the playoffs, but if a clear reason is determined, besides a rumored illness, then his trade value could still be solid.
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Among the bench pieces, as long as Al Horford doesn't retire, he should return to the Celtics. Payton Pritchard seems certain to be back, and Sam Hauser should be back given his extension is kicking in. Luke Kornet is entering free agency, if a team decides to throw a significant contract at him, he is likely gone.
That means among the players currently on the roster, the most likely scenario seems to be Tatum, Brown, White, Pritchard, Horford, and Hauser returning among the key players, and Holiday, Porzingis, and Kornet with high potential to be gone.
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