Boston prepares to navigate life without key pieces from its 2024 championship roster.
Celtics ranked among NBA's boldest offseason moves after Jayson Tatum injury originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Boston Celtics have had a disappointing offseason following Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles in the team's Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the New York Knicks.
The Celtics were among the favorites to make it out of the East and contend for back-to-back titles with a star-studded group featuring Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. However, the club fell 4-2 in the series against New York, with Tatum suffering the devastating Achilles injury late in Game 4.
With Tatum now expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign — and with looming financial constraints — the Celtics made major changes to avoid the dreaded second apron. Boston traded Holiday and Porzingis in June and also lost Luke Kornet to free agency. While he has yet to sign a contract elsewhere, Horford is not expected to return either. As a result, the Celtics are headed for a gap year, with little hope for a deep playoff run.
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Celtics’ offseason ranked 10th ‘boldest’ move
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently ranked the top 10 boldest moves of the 2025 offseason, placing the Celtics at No. 10 after their cost-cutting maneuvers.
"The Boston Celtics may have considered paying over $500 million in payroll and taxes for its 2025-26 roster had the group won back-to-back titles,” he wrote. “Instead, the Celtics not only fell short in a hard-fought second-round series to the New York Knicks, but lost Jayson Tatum for a year with an Achilles injury.”
Following Tatum's injury and Boston's offseason changes, the Celtics will rely on White, Brown and Anfernee Simons to keep the them in playoff contention. The Celtics have won 50-plus regular-season games in four consecutive seasons, but they now face an uphill battle to stay relevant.
The frontcourt will be especially critical. Sam Hauser will presumably step into Tatum's spot in the starting five, while Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza will try to fill the void left by Porzingis and Horford at center.
While these bold moves provide more financial flexibility for future championship runs, the Celtics are widely viewed as having fallen from contender status in 2025-26 as they navigate a retooling campaign without their superstar.
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Category: Basketball
