Boston won't be a contender next season.
The Boston Celtics have been among the top teams in the league in recent years, but they are facing a much different reality next season.
When the Celtics tip off the 2025-26 season, they won’t be among the top contenders to come out of the Eastern Conference. While the team has had some up-and-down years, that hasn’t been a true reality in nearly a decade.
Of course, Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles has forced Boston into taking a gap year and resetting for another run at a title in 2027. Still, the team would like to make some noise next season and continue its streak of playoff appearances.
However, as CBS Sports’ James Herbert laid out recently, the team still has a lot of work to do in the remaining stages of the offseason. While the Celtics have a clear hole in the frontcourt, Herbert’s issue with the Celtics is simply that they’re too expensive.
Considering that the team won’t be in title contention next season, they can continue to make cost-cutting measures and ensure the team is in a better position when Tatum returns next summer. With Anfernee Simons unlikely to be in Boston beyond next season anyway, he was one of the key players Herbert mentioned as a potential trade piece.
In any case, the Celtics still need to shore up their center situation, and if they can cut costs while doing so, it makes sense. While there are plenty of great reasons for Boston to simply focus on its financial situation this season, it should also be prioritizing a two-year plan that puts the team back in the title picture for 2027.
Category: Basketball
