Boston Celtics fans understand that their patience is being tested right now.
The entire 2025-26 season will be somewhat of a waiting game for Celtics die-hards, who are eager to see Jayson Tatum back on the court (presumably in 2026-27), making Boston a fearsome contender again.
But what happens if the Celtics underperform, even once Tatum returns? President of basketball operations Brad Stevens shed a ton of talent from the roster this summer in moving on from guys like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
According to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, Boston’s roster won’t necessarily be equipped for a championship when Tatum rejoins the party. Hughes even went as far as to predict that Tatum will never lead the Celtics to another NBA Finals as the team’s best player.
“The Boston Celtics had to blow it up,” Hughes wrote. “There was no sense in paying half-a-billion dollars for a Jayson Tatum-less roster with no hope of contending. The trades that sent out Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were also an admission of sorts—not one the Celtics would readily cop to, but one that realistic observers should see quite clearly: Boston is done contending with this core. Tatum should return next year but will likely be less than his best self until at least 2027-28.”
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“At that point, Jaylen Brown will be 31 and earning $61 million,” Hughes continued. “Derrick White will collect $32 million in his age-33 campaign. Throw Tatum’s salary in there, and Boston will have $157 million committed to three players. That’s no way forward, which is why the Celtics will probably look to move Brown and/or White at some point in the next couple of offseasons.”
“Tatum feels like a mainstay because of his stature in Boston and because of the contract that’ll keep him maxed out through 2030, but everything else is going to change for the worse by default,” Hughes added. “Boston had loads of deep playoff runs with Tatum at the forefront, and it won a title in 2024. Another one won’t arrive until long after Tatum is either gone or reduced to second-option status.”
Wow. Hughes might be the first guy to suggest that contention as Boston knows it is no longer a possibility in the Tatum era.
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What does one even make of this beyond-bold prediction?