The Boston Celtics are going to be under a directive to shed some salary and get under the second apron of the CBA. With new owner Bill Chisholm in control of the franchise, he doesn't want to pay that tax bill.
Boston has a lot of guys who are making a ton of money, especially in the starting lineup. The starting lineup is one of the most expensive starting lineups in the entire league.
Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are the two starters who have been brought up as the most likely starters to be traded. The Celtics are looking for partners to take on their contracts.
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If Boston can't find someone to take some of these big contracts, the consequences could be catastrophic for them. Aside from the luxury tax bill implications, the other penalties are devastating.
Boston would not be able to aggregate salaries in trades, sign a waived player who is making more than $14.1 million, and have their 2033 first-round pick frozen.
These penalties make it extremely hard for teams to build a title contender if they are stuck dealing with these penalties. The Celtics do not want to swim in those waters.
Unfortunately for them, that leaves them without a lot of leverage when it comes to trading some of these guys making a lot of money. Other teams know they are trying to shed salary and get under the second apron.
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How Boston is able to navigate the trade market will determine what level of success they will have getting back into title contention. Making sure Jayson Tatum is fully healthy is the top priority once the season starts.
If Brad Stevens is able to make some shrewd moves to shed salary and stay competitive, that would give the Celtics the best of both worlds. Moves like that might be hard to come by, though.
Boston should have some takers for both Porzingis and Holiday this summer. The return they get for those guys is going to be key.
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