The Celtics’ chase for Trey Murphy III looks like it has run out of road.
Boston had been linked to Murphy for months, but the Pelicans now appear determined to keep him unless someone comes in with an offer they can’t refuse. And even if New Orleans were open to dealing him, the math for the Celtics is brutal. Getting Murphy while staying under the first apron hard cap would be expensive and complicated enough that it may be time to move on from that idea.
That doesn’t mean Boston is done exploring the market. If anything, the more realistic path now looks like smaller, cleaner upgrades around the edges of the roster - the kind of moves that fit the new setup and help accentuate Jayson Tatum. Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports pointed to Herb Jones, Keldon Johnson, and Lu Dort as possible names Boston could examine.
The cap situation explains why those are the kinds of players in play. With Paul George waiving his trade kicker, the Celtics are roughly $8 million below the first apron, which becomes a hard cap after using the mid-level exception on Mitchell Robinson.
That leaves very little room to absorb salary in a deal. Even with the $27.7 million traded player exception from the Anfernee Simons move, Boston still can’t take back more than $8 million in a trade without sending money out.
That’s why Murphy is such a tough swing. To get there, the Celtics would likely have to part with a major piece like PG or Derrick White.
Jones, Johnson, and Dort come in at lower numbers next season - $14.9 million for Jones, $17.5 million for Johnson, and $18.2 million for Dort - but even those prices still force Boston to move salary. Sam Hauser’s $10.8 million could be part of the equation, with the TPE helping on the margins.
The real issue is whether any of those names are enough of an upgrade to justify the cost.
Jones and Dort are elite defenders, but both bring offensive concerns and inconsistent shooting. Dort is on an expiring deal, while Jones has a three-year, $68 million extension that starts in 2027-28. Johnson, meanwhile, took on a reduced role and still won the Sixth Man of the Year Award for the Spurs this season, but his jumper remains shaky, his defense is a question mark, and he was mostly played off the floor in the playoffs.
That makes the bar for moving Hauser pretty high. He has flaws, sure, but he’s a dead-eye shooter whose spacing changes how defenses have to play Boston. He doesn’t cough the ball up, his defense is passable, his contract is a bargain as he enters year 2 of a 4/$5m deal, and he already fits cleanly next to Tatum.
So unless a clear, obvious upgrade shows up, the Celtics may be better off standing pat. The sense here is that Boston likes the roster it has and wants to see what it looks like before making a marginal move that could cost assets and still miss the mark. The safer play may be to wait, duck below the tax, and set up next year with no apron or tax penalties hanging over them, a huge expiring contract, and a pile of draft capital ready to use.
In Other News...
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Bostons summer league opener gave fans a first look at the kind of rookie impact theyve been waiting to see, and Chris Cenac Jr. delivered plenty of it in an 83-80 overtime win over Toronto. The Celtics had to rally from a double-digit deficit, but Cenacs debut offered the blend of activity and poise that can make a summer showcase feel a little more meaningful than the average July box score.
He finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, giving Boston a frontcourt presence that showed up on both ends and kept the game within reach when it mattered. Dillon Mitchell also flashed with defense and energy, while Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams and John Tonje each had their own stretches, leaving the Celtics with a promising opening-night mix and a few more reasons to keep watching this group closely. [Read more 🡒]
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White also touched on the ripple effects inside the roster, from Neemias Quetas new contract to his own push for a better season. He said he wants to sharpen his shooting and clean up a few small areas after feeling he did not play as well as he wanted last year, a reminder that even amid the roster churn, the Celtics are still measuring themselves against the same internal bar. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Move May Have Created A Bigger Celtics Problem
Jaylen Browns departure from Boston was framed as a harsh but necessary cap decision, the kind of move Brad Stevens said the Celtics had to consider when so much of the roster-building money was already tied to Brown and Jayson Tatum. It was the sort of front-office choice that can reshape a contenders present and future at the same time, especially when a team is trying to keep its title window open without boxing itself into impossible financial corners.
Now that decision may be echoing beyond Boston. Victor Wembanyamas reported willingness to accept a rookie extension below the maximum has sparked the idea that stars could start viewing a little short-term sacrifice as a way to help their teams stay flexible, and that is exactly the kind of precedent the Celtics would not mind setting in the abstract. The lingering question is whether this becomes a one-off gesture or the start of a broader shift in how elite players approach their next big deals. [Read more 🡒]