Where to from here?

[Celts17Pride]

Next season should be all about setting up for the 2026/2027 season. Celtics are not winning a championship next year and if I was the Celtics I would not play Jayson Tatum 1 minute in the 2025/2026 season. Taking the full year off is the best thing for Jayson Tatum's future. Next season should be all about player development of young player, build up the value of players like Queta, Scheierman, Walsh, Peterson, Davison, this year's draft picks etc. Next off-season make your moves to enhance your core players.

My question, is Joe Mazzulla the right guy to develop players or is he going to play his remaining vets 40-42 minutes per game?

[phincsfan]

A couple of draft day trades

These trades are all kosher when it comes to apron and cap. All the teams end up in a good spot cap and apron wise. I think each team got a little better depending on what better is. For the C's I wanted to get a pick in the lottery, get a little younger and get under the 2nd apron. Players will need to be waived but I'm not going that deep with it.

5 team deal

C's get Niang, Sheppard, #10 and #26 I WANT A PICK IN THE LOTTERY THIS YEAR

Hawks get Cameron Johnson, Whitehead, #13

Nets get Simons, Aaron Holiday, #11, #28 and future 1st from Hawks

Rockets get White, #27

Blazers get Pritchard, Okongwu, #19, #22

C's get down to 207.5mil
-----------------------------------------------------------
3 team deal

C's get Jones Jr, Batum, RWill and #30

Clips get Jrue and #26

Blazers get Dunn and Eubanks

C's now down to 203mil

Sign Luke to a minimum contract

With the 10th pick look at Sorber, Khaman, Queen, Newell, Demin, Traore

With the 30th pick look at Philon, Pettiford

Porzingis/Luke/Neems/RWill/Sorber
Sam/Batum/Niang
JB/Jones/Peterson
Sheppard/Rico/
JD/Philon or Pettiford

It's not a pretty team by any stretch but not having JT allows there to be some reason to digress a little. It should all be about 26/27 and beyond. I think the bench is pretty athletic.

For the 26/27 season the under contract players would be JT/JB/Jones Jr/Luke/Sam/Peterson/Rico/Sheppard/JD/2 rookie deals. Room to go out and sign some players.

When JT and JB are 29 and 28 having a young group of Sorber, Sheppard, Rico, Philon or Pettiford could be a nice foundation. A couple of lottery players (Sorber before his injury and Sheppard) without having to tank.

[Curmudgeon]

I'm not sure that these kinds of complicated multi-player trades are doable for teams over the 2nd apron.

[return2glory]

I'm glad none of you are the GM of this team.

Last year we won a title, everything was great. This year we got bounced in the 2nd round and it's trade everyone.

Celtics hadn't repeated since 69. They had only won 2 titles since 86. Chances of repeating this season was very slim. Especially when the off season including the Olympics. Tatum, Jrue and White hardly had any time off with the long NBA season by getting to the Finals. Then 3 of our top 4 players having to travel over seas and practice and play on the Olympic team. Then right back to training camp and preseason and the regular season. That made repeating that much tougher.

Because unlike most contenders that get bounced early, we aren't projecting 5 months out till the start of the season, but 2 years out due to the Tatum injury. Jrue will be 37 by then and probably not that guy. Al will be retirered, and KP won't be on the team regardless if we trade him or not.

Brown/White/Pritchard are the only dudes who might hold relatively similar values on and off the court by the time Tatum is ready to lace em up, and most people expect 2 of those dudes to stick around even with the Brown speculation.

It makes no sense to carry this team around and just pray for a 44 win miracle next season with 1/3rd of your cap sitting on the bench. We know how that looks, go see TMacs Magic teams with Grant Hill, and the final years of DRose and Amares Bulls/Knicks years. It looks sloppy and bad, and those seasons just add heart break as fans imagine what could be, but know it's real. Every game would be like GM 5 and 6 against the Knicks where you know the outcome even when you win.

I much rather watch a team of young or semi young players learning and fighting, getting a top pick, and then going into it a year later like we did in 2017/18 than watching this team literally melt from the inside out slowly. I would much rather bank on Brad having another offseason like he did in 2023/24 with getting KP and Jrue than hoping this team still has the magic and juice to compete with the same team (which we know can't be the same given the injury and the apron...)

I hope Celtic fans aren't delusional in thinking that this team is fine where it's at, major major changes are needed up and down the roster.

Most fans that support a team think major changes are needed.

Personally, I feel the window for this current roster closed with the Tatum injury and Jrue showing a big decline from the championship season.
There is no reason for Al to come back to this team now that Tatum will be out next season. KP's days are numbered. He needs to be moved if Brad can get any takers.

I just don't get people yet again wanted Brown traded. He was the Finals MVP last season and played with an injured knee in this years payoffs and did as much as he could to help the team.

[Curmudgeon]

The trade I'd like to see is Brown to Milwaukee for Giannis. Then move Giannis to Dallas for whatever salaries need to be aggregated to make the trade work (excluding Davis and Irving), plus the rights to Cooper Flagg.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

I assume KP and/or Holiday to be gone. Add in JT to miss all of next year I say this team just tanks and tries to get a top 10 pick. Although they may not have to tank because this team may look so different next year they may only be play-in team.

Brown is going anywhere much less Tatum as well. Tatum won’t be traded for the simple fact that no one will take him coming back from an Achilles injury.

Brooklyn signed KD soon after his achilles ruptured knowing full well he was going to be out the entire next season. I don't see Boston trading JT but lets not pretend no one will take him.

[165bows]

Is it possible they use draft night trades to get under the tax for this 24-25 season? Ie can they make this year and next year the years they get out from under penalties

[Curmudgeon]

IMHO getting out of the second apron is more important than getting out of the tax altogether, but I would have no issue with trading Porzingis into cap space, e.g. to Brooklyn for a top 55 protected 2nd rounder. I like him as a player, particularly the rim protection, but he's simply not available when you need him.

[jmr07019]

1. Take as much time as needed and get the Jays back to 100% health
2. Don’t pay lux tax next year
3. Get as high a draft pick as possible.

[Riverwalk2021]

I'd imagine the Celtics are more likely to make a move to stay relevant than a soft rebuild. The players to move off are Softzingis and Hauser. Unreliable, one dimensional, limited, match up dependent. See what you can get for Jrue and Brown to build a roster around Tatum that makes sense. The Tatum Brown duo just doesn't work unless they are stacked. Tatum needs a more complimentary partner.

IMO the Celtics to need to move away from ISO ball where movement and quick passing is emphasized. Well rounded guys like White and Tatum would excel if you put the right pieces around them. High IQ and quick decision makers. That style is a lot more fun to watch as well.

[Curmudgeon]

I'd imagine the Celtics are more likely to make a move to stay relevant than a soft rebuild. The players to move off are Softzingis and Hauser. Unreliable, one dimensional, limited, match up dependent. See what you can get for Jrue and Brown to build a roster around Tatum that makes sense. The Tatum Brown duo just doesn't work unless they are stacked. Tatum needs a more complimentary partner.

Would love to see Joe shi!canned but sadly that seems impossible right now

Really? Do you believe anything Stevens said in his press conference? I don't.

[phincsfan]

This was Porzingis’s lowest games played in a season of his career.

I was surprised how cool Stevens was with him playing for Latvia this offseason.

IMO, that told me that he’s on his way out. The guy has an undiagnosed viral illness that caused him to have breathing issues and the GM is like “yeah it’s gonna be cool for him to play for his hometown, while we’re on the hook for 30mil next season”.

Maybe there’s a team who would take a chance that he’ll play for one more mini contract.

Or

They’ll just stretch him and save money gowards the cap.

[Riverwalk2021]

Porzingis is sick no doubt but his game is super soft. He got taken out of his game because of the physical style of the playoffs. I soured on him the more I saw him because he doesn't process the game well, bad hands. low bball iq. Skill is great but his intangibles are terrible.

[Curmudgeon]

What are the Nets going to do with 70+ million in cap space? Just send them Porzingis for a second round pick and call it a day. It's not as though free agents are dying to go there.

Nor do I believe Scalabrine when he says that Dallas would never relinquish Flagg. Flagg doesn't fit Dallas' timeline at all. They need to find a star to go with Davis and Irving, and the current version of Klay Thompson is not that player. With Giannis, Dallas would be a contender, especially if the Mavs could unload Thompson and a bunch of other flotsam and jetsam in the process.

[Fierce1]

What are the Nets going to do with 70+ million in cap space? Just send them Porzingis for a second round pick and call it a day. It's not as though free agents are dying to go there.

KP and a 1st round pick for Cam Johnson really tempting.

[Curmudgeon]

Cam Johnson is fool's gold, but I'd do that deal, so long as it isn't next year's pick.

[Curmudgeon]

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[GrandTheftRondo]

Porzingis is sick no doubt but his game is super soft. He got taken out of his game because of the physical style of the playoffs. I soured on him the more I saw him because he doesn't process the game well, bad hands. low bball iq. Skill is great but his intangibles are terrible.

Nonsense.

The fact he was constantly off the court clearly showed he wasn’t right physically.

Let’s not act like the Knicks were some juggernaut defensively

[phincsfan]

Looking way ahead to 26/27 because that’s when JT should be back, I’m guessing based off the 10% increase to the luxury cap that happened for the 25/26 season, that the 26/27 luxury cap should be about 207mil. Between JT and JB that puts the C’s at 91mil leftover. Moving Jrue and White by then IMO is imperative because JT and JB will still be in their prime. Sam may also be gone. PP would still be cheap and Rico is still on his rookie deal. With those two that would leave around 80mil for 8 spots.

[phincsfan]

Cam Johnson is fool's gold, but I'd do that deal, so long as it isn't next year's pick.

Nets want alot for Johnson. That’s why a deal never transpired. Teams seem to just be waiting them out rather than cave to a big draft pick giveaway.