The Boston Celtics are going to go through some roster changes this summer. That much seems inevitable. With the looming second apron and an uncertain season outlook due to the Jayson Tatum Achilles rupture, Boston will have some tough decisions to make. But which players will end up sticking around?
Only 12 players are under contract heading into next season, meaning they are the only ones from last year’s team eligible to be traded: Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, Xavier Tillman, Neemias Queta, JD Davison, and Jordan Walsh.
Let’s rank all 12 based on how likely it is they will be traded, starting with the most likely and ending with the least likely.
Tier 1: The main trade pieces
All of these players seem likely to be the primary face of a trade package leaving Boston.
1. Jrue Holiday
The Celtics need to shed roughly $20 million to get under the second apron, and even more than that if they want to retain Luke Kornet and Al Horford. Trading Holiday’s $32.4 million would be a great start.
Combine that with the fact that there are already reports out there indicating some teams are interested in trading for him, and this deal makes the most sense.
2. Kristaps Porzingis
Similarly to Holiday, Porzingis’ monster salary being moved would go a long way to helping the Celtics get under the second apron. He’ll make $30.7 million next season.
On top of that, since Porzingis is on an expiring contract, teams around the league may be a bit more willing to take a chance on him, despite his recent struggles and injury history.
3. Sam Hauser
With his three-point shooting and incredible contract, Hauser may be one of the most valuable (tradable) assets the Celtics have available to them this summer.
Any team looking to add shooting to their lineup will be interested in Hauser, and shedding his $10 million from the books would help them in their quest to move salary, too.
Tier 2: The fillers
These are the players who could be thrown into a deal as salary-filler simply so the Celtics can get them off the books (if they want to).
4. Xavier Tillman
After a strong preseason, Xavier Tillman failed to capitalize and was a non-factor throughout the year for Boston this season. But since his contract is guaranteed, they could look to move him.
5. Jordan Walsh
Though he’s still young, Walsh already seems to have been eclipsed by Scheierman in the wing room. The Celtics could very well keep him and continue developing his game, but if a team wants to take a chance on him, Boston may not be averse to throwing him in a deal.
6. Neemias Queta
Since Queta’s contract isn’t fully guaranteed for next season, the Celtics could just let him walk, but like Walsh, if another team is interested, they could also throw him in a trade package.
7. JD Davison
For the same reason as the two players before him, throwing Davison in a trade package could be an option if another team wanted to take a look at him, but he has a team option for next season, so the Celtics could simply let him walk.
8. Baylor Scheierman
After the way he ended last season, it feels like the Celtics really like Scheierman. Trading him would be weird, but he’s not quite established enough yet to be taken out of talks completely.
Tier 3: The unlikely guys
Like the Tier 1 players, these guys would be the focal point of a trade, but it seems a lot less likely that they will get moved this summer.
9. Jaylen Brown
If the offer is right, perhaps the Celtics ship out Brown, but that seems extremely unlikely. He seems as ready as ever to lead the Celtics next season while Tatum is sidelined.
Brown’s monster contract getting moved would definitely help the Celtics, but he does them more good on the floor than off the books. Plus, they may not get great value in return if other teams are scared of his contract.
10. Derrick White
It would likely take a massive trade offer for the Celtics to even consider trading White, but maybe that type of deal isn’t impossible to imagine.
If another team decides to offer up a million draft picks and some young players, the Celtics could take a look, but White’s plug-and-play play style and incredible contract make him almost unmovable barring that.
11. Payton Pritchard
Pritchard might be on the best contract in the NBA. For his production and all the skills he brings to the table, teams should be in a frenzy to add him to their roster.
But the Celtics shouldn’t (and likely won’t) let that happen. He’s way too valuable to trade unless the deal is a complete rip-off for the other team involved.
Tier 4: Jayson Tatum
12. Jayson Tatum
Don’t trade Tatum. Not while he’s hurt, not while he’s healthy, and not unless another team calls with an offer that would feel ridiculous not to entertain. It’s that simple.