Don’t hold your breath for the Boston Celtics to make a splashy addition this offseason.
After the Jaylen Brown trade, there’s been some chatter about another move to upgrade the roster, but NBA insider Sean Deveney says those “hopeful whimpers out of Boston” aren’t likely to turn into anything major. The obstacle is simple: money.
Boston is sitting about $2 million below the luxury tax line, and that’s where the organization appears determined to stay.
“The tax has been the focus for them for two years now, and they’re not coming off of that,” an executive told Deveney.
Spotrac pegs the Celtics at $1.7 million under the luxury tax threshold. Staying under the tax for the full 2026-27 season would reset their repeater-tax clock, a move that would save ownership a significant amount of money.
That financial approach is part of why some view this year as another possible gap season for Boston.
The Athletic’s Zach Harper recently laid out the long view, pointing to the flexibility the Celtics could have by the summer of 2028, when Paul George’s contract could come off the books, assuming he picks up his $56.6 million player option for the 2027-28 season.
“Tatum will be 30 that summer, and GM Brad Stevens likely won’t be scared of the aprons by then,” Harper wrote. “Boston should have at least one good run in the Tatum prime era. Maybe that starts with some moves before the 2027 trade deadline?”
For now, the Celtics should still be in the contender mix. But if they’re going to push all their chips in again, it may be a couple of years before that happens.
In Other News...
Doc Rivers Saw One Problem Celtics Fans Will Feel In Brown Trade
At the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement media availability, Doc Rivers looked back on his Celtics years and then turned to the move that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia. The former Boston coach said he was surprised by the trade, which brought Paul George and draft picks to Boston, and he framed it through the lens of how closely Celtics fans still track anything involving the 76ers.
Rivers also reached back to a mandate from Tommy Heinsohn, the kind of old-school reminder that still hangs over the franchise years later. Bostons hope is that George can be fit into the system and the draft capital can be turned into roster help, but the reaction from Rivers underscored the emotional side of the deal, especially for anyone who grew up on the rivalry and the expectation that certain losses simply are not supposed to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Took The Heat For A Celtics Tradeoff Fans Hate
Brad Stevens spent the offseason making the kind of decisions that come with a heavy dose of short-term pain and long-term planning, and Celtics fans have had plenty to absorb. The front office moved aggressively to reshape the roster, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday while also working within the realities of the NBAs salary structure, a balancing act that left Boston over the leagues second tax apron as Stevens chased the kind of window that can actually end with a title.
The bigger picture is why the Brad Stevens approach has been so polarizing: he accepted real risk now in exchange for keeping the Celtics positioned to win later, even if the tradeoff frustrates a fan base that wanted a cleaner, easier path. Missing out on Giannis Antetokounmpo only sharpened the stakes, and the Jaylen Brown deal became the move that crystallized the debate, because it underscored just how far Stevens was willing to go to keep Boston competitive while still navigating the cap rules that will shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Just Added More Fuel To Celtics Christmas Showdown
The Celtics-Hit rivalry already had enough edge after Miami landed Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason, but Christmas Day has now taken on a little extra bite. Boston had made a run at Giannis before getting outbid, and the chain reaction from that chase eventually sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, leaving the Celtics with another reminder of how quickly the balance shifted.
Giannis has not done much to cool things down, either, as he has made it clear he is looking forward to the matchup with Boston. For a Celtics team that has spent the offseason watching a familiar East battle get even more personal, the holiday meeting now carries more than just the usual regular-season flair. [Read more 🡒]