2025 Offseason Trade and Free Agency Thread (Wow this is fun!)

[cl2117]

Giannis to Boston

JB to Spurs

#2 pick and other assets to Milwaukee

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

[chrisab123]

Giannis to Boston

JB to Spurs

#2 pick and other assets to Milwaukee

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

If Giannis wants to go to Boston you’re accommodating him. Now why he would want to go to Boston instead of holding out for LA NY or Miami is anyone’s guess. But Boston is a bigger market than San Antonio

[chrisab123]

I'm not convinced that Giannis is staying in Milwaukee. Except for him, most of the potential "big dominoes" are Celtics.

I have a feeling something very unexpected is going to happen. Watch Memphis and New Orleans.

[celticgreenie]

The Celtic record is because the Jays are ultra talented.

Nobody's questioning their talent.

It's the bad decisions.

The Celtics' talent got them a championship.

But relying solely on talent will not work anymore.

Why would you keep jacking up 3s when it's not falling?

And why dribble when 2 defenders are around you?

Like another poster said, it's common sense.

I think the real issue is coaching. Even though the Celtics won a championship with Joe Mazzulla, I still think his system kind of sucks. He doubled down on the team taking a ton of threes, and I think that’s a big reason why Tatum has started settling for so many jumpers. On top of that, for some reason they tried using Jaylen Brown more as a point forward this season—even though that’s clearly not his game.

At the start of last year, they were focused on developing Tatum’s post game, but they completely abandoned it to fit into Joe’s three-point-heavy strategy. That’s the biggest issue to me—it starts with Mazzulla.

I’m not saying Joe is the worst coach out there, but for a veteran group like this, I honestly think he’s a bad fit. And what’s really telling is that there’s been zero information about his contract situation. Why would they let him enter next season with only one year left? And if they’re truly sold on him, why didn’t they extend him after winning the title?

Something doesn’t add up.

I think if they want to get away from taking so many threes Brad is going to have to give the team a single player on the team who can dribble through traffic. Every player on the team sucks at it. Jrue/White are combo guards vs. true PGs because of that. Tatum/Brown are great, but compared to high usage ball handlers they're both horrendous ball handlers. Pritchard improved some but still gets cuaght like a deer in the headlights most time he handles inside the 3 point line. The only player on the team I'd say is a "plus" ball handler relative to their position are Tatum as a "PF" but really he plays PG so that's moot and then Horford as a C but that's really so meaningless because it's such low threshold/and volume of plays.

They need to play 5 out a ton and space the floor that way because it's the only way to draw the defense out and make up for their total lack of ability to handle through tighter traffic.

All good points. To add on, that's the reason Celtics struggled against the Miami Heat in recent years prior to the championship as the latter had defenders who would either poke the ball on the dribble or even just strip the ball on the way up for the shot. Same issue would have materialized against the Thunder, who are an historically elite defensive team.

[Fierce1]

Giannis to Boston

JB to Spurs

#2 pick and other assets to Milwaukee

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

Wemby and JB fit better.

Wemby and Giannis will be great on offense, but they will be a little slow on defense.

[cl2117]

Giannis to Boston

JB to Spurs

#2 pick and other assets to Milwaukee

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

Wemby and JB fit better.

Wemby and Giannis will be great on offense, but they will be a little slow on defense.

You don't think they'd figure out how to accomodate two of the most (if not THE most) freakishly athletic players in NBA histry?

I think that's wishful thinking on your part that San Antonio is handing us Giannis unless a) Giannis forces his way here (unlikely) or b) we are sending an absolute boatload of additional value their way (and even then I probably don't do it if I'm SAS).

[Fierce1]

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

Wemby and JB fit better.

Wemby and Giannis will be great on offense, but they will be a little slow on defense.

You don't think they'd figure out how to accomodate two of the most (if not THE most) freakishly athletic players in NBA histry?

I think that's wishful thinking on your part that San Antonio is handing us Giannis unless a) Giannis forces his way here (unlikely) or b) we are sending an absolute boatload of additional value their way (and even then I probably don't do it if I'm SAS).

Don't forget Giannis has a say in this.

If Giannis says he wants Boston then he will go to Boston.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Hollinger re the market for FA centers. He thinks it could be "frothy".

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6433786/2025/06/21/nba-free-agency-centers-players-ranked/

Damn…Mo Bamba has really fallen off. So much fan fare, people wanting to trade up in the draft to pick him, yet on this list he’s not even in the top 25. Eye opening.

Players like that are just an example of how obsessed some fans get over the new shiny things.

I remember all the talk about Bamba, Ayton etc and how they were sure to be good etc.

The draft is a crapshoot.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Houston doesn't think much of Jalen Green.

I recall a few years ago when some posters wanted to deal JB for Jalen Green. Lol

Honestly, neither do I. Thankfully he is not a Celtic. Green is horrible

#10 and Green for Durant who has 1-2 years left in the league is absolutely crazy. I have no idea what the f Houston is thinking, regardless of how you see Green.

No it isn’t.

Green is trash.

Pick 10 yeah okay if they hit on it maybe Phoenix wins out but Houston has a pretty good roster and desperately needed a scorer.

Houston still has other assets as well to add more pieces.

They don’t need anymore rookies not getting playing time like Shepherd.

Green’s contract was also awful.

I think under ime KD might thrive and be a Horford like presence on that team.

[TGW]

Giannis to Boston

JB to Spurs

#2 pick and other assets to Milwaukee

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

Wemby and JB fit better.

Wemby and Giannis will be great on offense, but they will be a little slow on defense.

Considering Giannis is a much better player than Brown, I'm pretty sure they could care less about the fit if they had a choice.

Get real.

[hugepatsfan]

I think the real issue is coaching. Even though the Celtics won a championship with Joe Mazzulla, I still think his system kind of sucks. He doubled down on the team taking a ton of threes, and I think that’s a big reason why Tatum has started settling for so many jumpers. On top of that, for some reason they tried using Jaylen Brown more as a point forward this season—even though that’s clearly not his game.

At the start of last year, they were focused on developing Tatum’s post game, but they completely abandoned it to fit into Joe’s three-point-heavy strategy. That’s the biggest issue to me—it starts with Mazzulla.

I’m not saying Joe is the worst coach out there, but for a veteran group like this, I honestly think he’s a bad fit. And what’s really telling is that there’s been zero information about his contract situation. Why would they let him enter next season with only one year left? And if they’re truly sold on him, why didn’t they extend him after winning the title?

Something doesn’t add up.

I think if they want to get away from taking so many threes Brad is going to have to give the team a single player on the team who can dribble through traffic. Every player on the team sucks at it. Jrue/White are combo guards vs. true PGs because of that. Tatum/Brown are great, but compared to high usage ball handlers they're both horrendous ball handlers. Pritchard improved some but still gets cuaght like a deer in the headlights most time he handles inside the 3 point line. The only player on the team I'd say is a "plus" ball handler relative to their position are Tatum as a "PF" but really he plays PG so that's moot and then Horford as a C but that's really so meaningless because it's such low threshold/and volume of plays.

They need to play 5 out a ton and space the floor that way because it's the only way to draw the defense out and make up for their total lack of ability to handle through tighter traffic.

All good points. To add on, that's the reason Celtics struggled against the Miami Heat in recent years prior to the championship as the latter had defenders who would either poke the ball on the dribble or even just strip the ball on the way up for the shot. Same issue would have materialized against the Thunder, who are an historically elite defensive team.

To be fair, it's not like Brad didn't address it. The post up threat of Porzingis was something Brad specifically targeted because of how it would remove the ability of teams to be so switchable. And then adding Jrue, who really excels as a cutter and in the dunker spot added another element of diversity that wasn't there previously when Smart/Brogdon were in the role (and he's a better shooter than Smart obviously too). Those were terrific moves to add some diversification. But with Porzingis especially, injuries really rendered the addition moot.

Even Kornet though... a lot of people complained for a while how much Joe played him but he stuck with it the last two years. He brought an element of "vertical spacing" where the lob threat serves as another way of reducing ball pressure inside to make up for our lack of handling. People grip about Mazzulla ball with the 3s, but for a while people also pushed back on the double big stuff he likes to use as well which runs counter to the 3 point spamming.

I truly think Mazzulla has become underrated as an offensive coach, and I think that will play out with a Tatum-less team. At the end of the day, from what I've seen, it's just good use of personnel to constantly create open looks despite no one on the team I would call particularly special in terms of playmaking. Obviously the overall talent level is high, but I still think a huge portion of how many open looks they generate is by way of their system/scheme and how they use spacing. I think Mazzulla has been unfairly reduced to nothing as an offensive mind for a lot of people.

I expect a similar year for him as Lue had post-Lebron. People wrote him off during those years but as time went on and he had some Lebron-less years, people realized he knew what he was doing. I think Mazzulla will similarly earn respect if he has a year (or maybe even two) where the team isn't viewed as such a powerhouse contender.

[Fierce1]

Why would the Spurs not just take Giannis? The gulf between him and Brown in a vacuum is enormous.

Wemby and JB fit better.

Wemby and Giannis will be great on offense, but they will be a little slow on defense.

Considering Giannis is a much better player than Brown, I'm pretty sure they could care less about the fit if they had a choice.

Get real.

Like I said, Giannis has a say in this.

If Giannis says he wants Boston then he goes to Boston.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Lacking in IQ, come on. They're record as a twosome is incredible. Lots of knee jerk going on here.

JT's shooting % is way down the last 2 seasons because he keeps jacking up 3s even if there's a defender contesting the shot.

JB is in his 9th season in the NBA and he still dribbles the ball even when there are multiple defenders around him.

Those are things the Pacers and OKC don't do.

It's basketball 101.

Why force a shot when you can pass the ball or drive to the basket instead.

And players in high school are taught to not dribble the ball when there are multiple defenders around you.

You must have missed the Pacers setting a turnover record in game 1 of the finals and all the turnovers they had in game 7 and at the end of game 4.

The Pacers were far from a perfect team offensively.

OKC’s offence was ugly in the playoffs and they’re pretty lucky the two real teams to give them issues has health issues (Denver and Indiana with Hali going down in game 7).

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

Heard Steve Bullpett on one of the many Celtics themed podcasts and he said, that Sam Hauser may have the most value out of Holiday and Porzingis. Bullpett further noted that Hauser has been underutilized in Boston and that he has an excellent mid-range game and can drive to the hoop.

[GreenBlooded]

Heard Steve Bullpett on one of the many Celtics themed podcasts and he said, that Sam Hauser may have the most value out of Holiday and Porzingis. Bullpett further noted that Hauser has been underutilized in Boston and that he has an excellent mid-range game and can drive to the hoop.

This makes sense. I've been saying, between his shooting and primo contact, Hauser has been undervalued by most. I hope we retain him, he starts and we run some offense for him. He could have a Pritchard like break out season.

[Fierce1]

Lacking in IQ, come on. They're record as a twosome is incredible. Lots of knee jerk going on here.

JT's shooting % is way down the last 2 seasons because he keeps jacking up 3s even if there's a defender contesting the shot.

JB is in his 9th season in the NBA and he still dribbles the ball even when there are multiple defenders around him.

Those are things the Pacers and OKC don't do.

It's basketball 101.

Why force a shot when you can pass the ball or drive to the basket instead.

And players in high school are taught to not dribble the ball when there are multiple defenders around you.

You must have missed the Pacers setting a turnover record in game 1 of the finals and all the turnovers they had in game 7 and at the end of game 4.

The Pacers were far from a perfect team offensively.

OKC’s offence was ugly in the playoffs and they’re pretty lucky the two real teams to give them issues has health issues (Denver and Indiana with Hali going down in game 7).

I'm not talking turnovers.

This is just about basic basketball that players learn in high school.

When there's a defender in front of you, don't force the shot.

Pass the ball or drive to the basket.

If you see 2 defenders in front of you, don't force it by trying to dribble through 2 defenders.

Basketball 101.

[GrandTheftRondo]

JT's shooting % is way down the last 2 seasons because he keeps jacking up 3s even if there's a defender contesting the shot.

JB is in his 9th season in the NBA and he still dribbles the ball even when there are multiple defenders around him.

Those are things the Pacers and OKC don't do.

It's basketball 101.

Why force a shot when you can pass the ball or drive to the basket instead.

And players in high school are taught to not dribble the ball when there are multiple defenders around you.

You must have missed the Pacers setting a turnover record in game 1 of the finals and all the turnovers they had in game 7 and at the end of game 4.

The Pacers were far from a perfect team offensively.

OKC’s offence was ugly in the playoffs and they’re pretty lucky the two real teams to give them issues has health issues (Denver and Indiana with Hali going down in game 7).

I'm not talking turnovers.

This is just about basic basketball that players learn in high school.

When there's a defender in front of you, don't force the shot.

Pass the ball or drive to the basket.

If you see 2 defenders in front of you, don't force it by trying to dribble through 2 defenders.

Basketball 101.

I don’t think the Celtics make any more basic mistakes than other teams.

They were a well oiled machine offensively last year. They continually blew out teams with great ball movement from extra passes etc.

This season they were spotty and in the playoffs things fell apart because Jrue was banged up, Porzingis was completely cooked and Brown’s knee wasn’t in good shape.

I saw both the Pacers and Thunder make some shocking decisions offensively in the finals.

The Thunder were lucky not to go down 3-1 with how badly they were running their offence in game 4.

[The Corey's]

Brad do something. These people are losing their ****.

[Fierce1]

You must have missed the Pacers setting a turnover record in game 1 of the finals and all the turnovers they had in game 7 and at the end of game 4.

The Pacers were far from a perfect team offensively.

OKC’s offence was ugly in the playoffs and they’re pretty lucky the two real teams to give them issues has health issues (Denver and Indiana with Hali going down in game 7).

I'm not talking turnovers.

This is just about basic basketball that players learn in high school.

When there's a defender in front of you, don't force the shot.

Pass the ball or drive to the basket.

If you see 2 defenders in front of you, don't force it by trying to dribble through 2 defenders.

Basketball 101.

I don’t think the Celtics make any more basic mistakes than other teams.

They were a well oiled machine offensively last year. They continually blew out teams with great ball movement from extra passes etc.

This season they were spotty and in the playoffs things fell apart because Jrue was banged up, Porzingis was completely cooked and Brown’s knee wasn’t in good shape.

I saw both the Pacers and Thunder make some shocking decisions offensively in the finals.

The Thunder were lucky not to go down 3-1 with how badly they were running their offence in game 4.

Shocking decisions offensively in the finals is understandable because both teams are first timers in the finals.

But the Jays, since 2020, have been forcing shots and dribbling into traffic.

This is not something that just happened this season.

It's been going on for years.

[Hal14]

Phoenix badly needs a PG and a C.

I wonder if there's a way a deal could happen where we send them Jrue AND KP..maybe a 3 team deal? Involving Beal and/or Green headed out of Phoenix..

Maybe Phoenix sends us the 10th pick in the draft..