2025-26 Celtics Roster

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I'm getting a bunch of articles that have the rumor that the Warriors want Derrick White this off-season.

I don't understand how that could possible benefit the Celtics. I can't see how a sign-and-trade for Kuminga would even work (and I don't see how we would want him). I don't think we'd want Draymond Green. Moody, Hield, and Podz are not really players that help the Celtics.

Weird rumor.

[Phantom255x]

I think we might be stuck with Porzingis. Still a while until the offseason but we've also heard like no rumors on him in potential trades or being in the market. Probably because of his illness, but maybe also the C's want to keep him for the frontcourt since there's no obvious option or replacement right now? I've seen way more reports/rumors for Jrue and even White. Hauser being traded to me already feels like a formality anyways with Baylor also in the wings. The Jaylen trade rumors quickly died down after his meniscus tear was revealed, but I also think Brad was being honest in his press conference where he implied Jaylen was part of this core going forward with JT.

[Roy H.]

I think we might be stuck with Porzingis. Still a while until the offseason but we've also heard like no rumors on him in potential trades or being in the market. Probably because of his illness, but maybe also the C's want to keep him for the frontcourt since there's no obvious option or replacement right now? I've seen way more reports/rumors for Jrue and even White. Hauser being traded to me already feels like a formality anyways with Baylor also in the wings. The Jaylen trade rumors quickly died down after his meniscus tear was revealed, but I also think Brad was being honest in his press conference where he implied Jaylen was part of this core going forward with JT.

Have we heard any *credible* rumors whatsoever?  And even if not, were there rumors that we were interested in KP, or that we were shopping Marcus?

I don't think KP would be that hard to move, so long as the Celtics only expect expiring contracts in return?

[celticinorlando]

Brad is really good at what he does and usually the deal comes out of nowhere.

[Vermont Green]

I'm getting a bunch of articles that have the rumor that the Warriors want Derrick White this off-season.

I don't understand how that could possible benefit the Celtics. I can't see how a sign-and-trade for Kuminga would even work (and I don't see how we would want him). I don't think we'd want Draymond Green. Moody, Hield, and Podz are not really players that help the Celtics.

Weird rumor.

I had the same reaction to these rumors as you.  I can't imagine what GSW could offer us to give up Derrick White.  They have a very short window with Curry and Butler.  But they don't have a lot of flexibility to take on salary.  I could see discussions around Holiday having some mutual interest but unless the Celtics are really blowing it up, I see no rationale for trading White to GSW or anyone else.

Holiday is about $32M in 2025-26 so if my math is right, GSW would need to send out at least about $26M (although not necessarily to us).  I am not sure what the constraints are for a sign and trade of say Kuminga.  Kuminga's contract will likely be at least 3 years but maybe he goes to a 3rd team that is rebuilding and has cap space on a $26M contract and then send Heild and his $9m to us?

Holiday could be a good add for GSW to go with Curry and Butler and I think they could still be under the 2nd apron after this.  For BOS, Holiday becomes our 2nd Apron sacrifice.  Kuminga on a 3 year or whatever deal does not make sense for BOS in terms of 2nd apron relief, but still may have a lot of ceiling at 22 and would be a decent add for a rebuilding team.  Maybe we could extract a useful expiring vet from the 3rd team as well:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to 3rd team), Heild (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Heild (from GSW), Expiring Vet (from some 3rd team)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

Some 3rd Team:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  A useful vet on Exp. Contract (to BOS)

[Vermont Green]

How about this one for a 3rd team to make the deal work:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to WAS), Hield (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Hield (from GSW), Bey (from WAS)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

WAS:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  Bey (to BOS)

Bey isn't expiring but between Heild and Bey that is still only about $15M so BOS saves about $17M, not enough to get under the 2nd apron in 2025-26, I don't think, but would save a lot of tax and get us much closer and with a lot more options.  Not everything I would like to get out of trading Holiday but better than just stretching him.

[jambr380]

Nice job and TP, VG! The Hield/Bey deal would actually be okay. I wouldn't mind Bey on the Celtics. Maybe we can find a team to take on Hield. He fits in a full MLE and a number of TPEs. If not we can keep him or stretch him.

This is exactly the kind of trade I could see happening. It would cut salary for us, while giving us tradeable and/or playable players. It also prevents us from having to give up assets to 'get rid of' Jrue - which just sounds ridiculous. That's only the case with simple two-team trades and I expect Brad and the FO to understand the trade market more and not be a dumbass.

[tazzmaniac]

How about this one for a 3rd team to make the deal work:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to WAS), Hield (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Hield (from GSW), Bey (from WAS)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

WAS:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  Bey (to BOS)

Bey isn't expiring but between Heild and Bey that is still only about $15M so BOS saves about $17M, not enough to get under the 2nd apron in 2025-26, I don't think, but would save a lot of tax and get us much closer and with a lot more options.  Not everything I would like to get out of trading Holiday but better than just stretching him.

Then trade Hauser for a 2nd rounder or two and fill the 2 open roster spots with minimum contracts to get below the 2nd apron. 

[Vermont Green]

How about this one for a 3rd team to make the deal work:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to WAS), Hield (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Hield (from GSW), Bey (from WAS)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

WAS:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  Bey (to BOS)

Bey isn't expiring but between Heild and Bey that is still only about $15M so BOS saves about $17M, not enough to get under the 2nd apron in 2025-26, I don't think, but would save a lot of tax and get us much closer and with a lot more options.  Not everything I would like to get out of trading Holiday but better than just stretching him.

Then trade Hauser for a 2nd rounder or two and fill the 2 open roster spots with minimum contracts to get below the 2nd apron.

That would end being Holiday and Hauser for Hield and Bey, saving about $27M in 2025-26.  A downgrade overall but it gets under the second apron without totally gutting the roster.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Part of the reason you make sure to resign you players, even if they seem like they are slight overpays, is to make sure that you retain value.

We can't forget that. We can't dump players. We have to get value back if we do change the roster. Preferably role players, prospects, and/or 1st round picks.

[diconzo]

How about this one for a 3rd team to make the deal work:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to WAS), Hield (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Hield (from GSW), Bey (from WAS)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

WAS:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  Bey (to BOS)

Bey isn't expiring but between Heild and Bey that is still only about $15M so BOS saves about $17M, not enough to get under the 2nd apron in 2025-26, I don't think, but would save a lot of tax and get us much closer and with a lot more options.  Not everything I would like to get out of trading Holiday but better than just stretching him.

Then trade Hauser for a 2nd rounder or two and fill the 2 open roster spots with minimum contracts to get below the 2nd apron.

That would end being Holiday and Hauser for Hield and Bey, saving about $27M in 2025-26.  A downgrade overall but it gets under the second apron without totally gutting the roster.

Just came here to ask this - thanks. Would love to keep KP and still get under the 2nd apron. Not sure what options we would have to fill out the rest of the roster but still having JT/JB/DW/KP would be huge.

If we are under the 2nd apron are we able to aggregate salaries again?

[Vermont Green]

I still think that trading Jrue to GSW as I described above is the most likely trade of everything I have seen (although still unlikely), but I don't think we can rule out that they would trade Jaylen Brown.  My Jaylen Brown trade is with ATL:

Jalen Johnson and Terrance Mann
for
Jaylen Brown

Only saves about $7.6M but then we could trade Hauser and and the savings would be around $18M.  This is the best trade I can come up with that would make some level of sense for both teams but even this is not that great of a trade for BOS.  Maybe ATL has some picks they could include.  My assumption is that ATL would resign Capela and then. have a decent team.

The more I look at scenarios, the more it looks like Jrue Holiday is the one traded.

[tazzmaniac]

How about this one for a 3rd team to make the deal work:

GSW
In:  Holiday (from BOS)    Out:  Kuminga (S&T to WAS), Hield (to BOS)

BOS
In:  Hield (from GSW), Bey (from WAS)   Out: Holiday (to GSW)

WAS:
In:  Kuminga (S&T from GSW)   Out:  Bey (to BOS)

Bey isn't expiring but between Heild and Bey that is still only about $15M so BOS saves about $17M, not enough to get under the 2nd apron in 2025-26, I don't think, but would save a lot of tax and get us much closer and with a lot more options.  Not everything I would like to get out of trading Holiday but better than just stretching him.

Then trade Hauser for a 2nd rounder or two and fill the 2 open roster spots with minimum contracts to get below the 2nd apron.

That would end being Holiday and Hauser for Hield and Bey, saving about $27M in 2025-26.  A downgrade overall but it gets under the second apron without totally gutting the roster.

Just came here to ask this - thanks. Would love to keep KP and still get under the 2nd apron. Not sure what options we would have to fill out the rest of the roster but still having JT/JB/DW/KP would be huge.

If we are under the 2nd apron are we able to aggregate salaries again?

Yes.  Keeping KP would be huge if he could stay healthy and we could sign him to a better deal.  Right now I'm looking at him as 30M cap space for the next offseason. 

[tazzmaniac]

I still think that trading Jrue to GSW as I described above is the most likely trade of everything I have seen (although still unlikely), but I don't think we can rule out that they would trade Jaylen Brown.  My Jaylen Brown trade is with ATL:

Jalen Johnson and Terrance Mann
for
Jaylen Brown

Only saves about $7.6M but then we could trade Hauser and and the savings would be around $18M.  This is the best trade I can come up with that would make some level of sense for both teams but even this is not that great of a trade for BOS.  Maybe ATL has some picks they could include.  My assumption is that ATL would resign Capela and then. have a decent team.

The more I look at scenarios, the more it looks like Jrue Holiday is the one traded.

I wouldn't do that JB trade if a gun was to my head.  There would certainly be better deals out there for him. 

[Vermont Green]

I still think that trading Jrue to GSW as I described above is the most likely trade of everything I have seen (although still unlikely), but I don't think we can rule out that they would trade Jaylen Brown.  My Jaylen Brown trade is with ATL:

Jalen Johnson and Terrance Mann
for
Jaylen Brown

Only saves about $7.6M but then we could trade Hauser and and the savings would be around $18M.  This is the best trade I can come up with that would make some level of sense for both teams but even this is not that great of a trade for BOS.  Maybe ATL has some picks they could include.  My assumption is that ATL would resign Capela and then. have a decent team.

The more I look at scenarios, the more it looks like Jrue Holiday is the one traded.

I wouldn't do that JB trade if a gun was to my head.  There would certainly be better deals out there for him.

The "gun to the head" is the looming 2nd apron penalties.  No one would do this trade purely on player production or value.  That is the whole point of the exercise.  So maybe there isn't an actual gun to the Celtics' head, maybe just a stun gun.

Based on Tatum getting hurt, probably less likely that they pay Horford and maybe they don't pay Kornet either, replace those two slots with min contracts.  Maybe trade Hauser too and replace him with a min contract.  Do all that and we are still $15M-$20M over the second apron.

In most any trade (with only a couple of exceptions such as BKN) we are going to have to take back about 80% of what we send unless we get complicated with a 3rd team.  So even trading Holiday on top of all this might not get us to the 2nd apron.  If we take back 80% of Jrue's salary, we only save about $7M (20% savings).  20% of Brown's is maybe $11M.  You can save more if you divert a player to a third team that is willing to absorb salary, but that 3rd team would need to have space and actually want the incoming player.