There’s a lot to unpack from this sudden and demoralizing ending to the Celtics season. Just a week ago, it felt like this team was cruising towards an easy round one victory over the 76ers, and primed to keep it going and compete to win the East, and perhaps even a championship.Â
But that was obviously a foolish thought as it all came crashing down on Saturday night as they blew a 3-1 lead and fell at home in Game 7 without Jayson Tatum, bowing out of the 2026 playoffs with a whimper.
It was still a successful season overall, with an incredible regular season, but it’s hard not to be disappointed with this final result. Regardless of who was in and out, the team proved it was capable of doing more, and they didn’t get it done. That means a long offseason is coming to Boston much sooner than expected, and with that come some tough conversations.
The salary cap situation is in good shape, and the Celtics have just about everyone locked up going forward. This team can basically stand pat if it wants to. At the same time, we’re entering the prime years of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and the supporting cast showed some serious flaws in this series.Â
Brad Stevens and company are going to have to take a long look at this thing and decide the best path forward to get this team back to the promised land in the coming years. They may ultimately decide that just means little tweaks, or they may decide to look into some more explosive options.
Here’s a look at five Celtics players who may have played their last game in green, and may be on their way out the door this summer, starting with the most likely to depart, and ending up with some longshots.
1. There’s no reason to bring Nikola Vucevic back
The trade for Nikola Vucevic at the deadline made sense on the surface. They wanted to get under the tax, and moving off of Anfernee Simons’ deal was essential in achieving that goal. They brought in a veteran center who could add depth, shore up the center rotation, and add floor spacing.
But Vooch never really found his footing in Boston and proved to be more washed up than anything. He was a disaster on defense and didn’t make much of an impact on the offensive end either. His $20.5 million deal is expiring, and there’s no reason for the Cs to bring him back. They need to look elsewhere to fix their center issues.
2. Sam Hauser could be an intriguing trade piece
The Celtics certainly don’t need to get rid of Sam Hauser, but he seemed more replaceable than ever in the playoffs. He struggled on defense and wasn’t swinging games with his shooting despite playing big minutes. They already have ready-made options to take his role in Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Hugo Gonzalez.
There are teams all over the league that desperately need shooting, and Hauser, on his deal that will pay him almost $35 million over the next three years, could be an attractive option. For the Celtics, he’s a positive asset they could dangle to try to improve the roster in other ways.
3.) Will the Celtics finally entertain selling high on Derrick White?
This was a disaster of a series for Derrick White, who finally showed up and hit some shots in Game 7, but it was too little too late. White has been an amazing Celtic, and even with his offensive struggles, his contract is returning great value. The best bet is for the Celtics to keep White and hope for some positive regression going forward, but there are other options.
If the Cs want to go star-hunting this summer and try to reset things around the Jays, they could likely get a haul for D-White. Maybe they get a bunch of picks and assets and flip them for someone like Giannis or KD, or maybe White is directly involved in a trade for a younger star who fits better. This would be a tough one to stomach, but with the way the season ended, and Brad’s knack for bold moves, this isn’t off the table.
4.) It might be time to question Joe Mazzulla’s playoff coaching
Like with Derrick, it’s hard to imagine the Celtics actually moving on from Joe Mazzulla, but it’s worth monitoring. He obviously won the title in 2024, but outside of that, he has three very disappointing playoff exits to the Heat in 2023, the Knicks last season, and now this debacle against the Sixers.
He has proven to be arguably the best regular-season coach in the league, but this team wants to hang banners. There’s still reason to believe Joe is the right guy, and he has already led them to one title, but if Brad thinks there’s a better man for the job, he needs to act accordingly.
5.) Could Brad go nuclear and trade Jaylen Brown?
The final option that seems on the table to fix this Celtics team is a nuclear option that has been in rumors for a decade: trading Jaylen Brown. JB had the best year of his career, but this wasn’t a great playoff series for him, and yet again, he wasn’t able to get the team over the hump when Tatum was hobbled.
Trading JB now would be a bit of a last resort kind of move, but again, Tatum isn’t getting any younger. Maybe Brad has seen enough and finally feels comfortable splitting up the two superstar wings to diversify the team around Tatum. This would be a stunner, but we can’t rule it out.
This would be a painful one, for sure. But a first-round exit simply isn’t good enough, especially after blowing a 3-1 lead with home-court advantage. Anything and everything should be on the table, and the only consideration for ownership and the front office should be building the team that offers the best chance for the Boston Celtics to win another championship.
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