The Boston Celtics are not trying to hide their attempts to save as much money as possible. Multiple trades this offseason have cleared the books a but, but as it stands, the team still has a tax bill of over $12 million. Sounds like pocket change to billionaires if you ask me, but what do I know?
That luxury tax bill will more than likely be the deciding factor on who stays and who goes at the trade deadline this year. After acquiring Anfernee Simons and his expiring contract this offseason, the team immediately turned around, looking to offload that $27 million, which would get them comfortably below the line — and I don't think this mindset will change for Rich Gotham, Brad Stevens and Bill Chisholm throughout the season.
When the trade deadline comes around, no matter how individual players have looked through the first half of the year, they'll likely be on the block if their contracts allow the team to avoid the tax.
Celtics will trade anyone who gets them out of the luxury tax
Okay, maybe not anyone. I don't think the front office would trade Jaylen Brown or Derrick White to save money. But I think even Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard — who are both signed for multiple years — could become luxury tax casualties this season in a reset year for the franchise.
You won't find much sympathy from me for teams that are sad about paying the luxury tax, but I do understand that it's important in decision-making around the NBA. In this specific case of the Celtics, I at least understand why a new ownership group would want to keep the payroll as clean as possible for when Jayson Tatum returns from injury next season.
The new CBA made it impossible to keep last year's team together (and Tatum's injury made it hard to justify anyway) so now the C's are totally resetting and hoping to create as much roster flexibility as possible — getting under the luxury tax in the process is part of that. Feeding two birds with one scone, as it were. In a year where contention is not in the cards, trading guys to get under the tax doesn't feel quite as disrespectful to fans who will never make as much money in their lives as owners "save" by ducking the tax.
Entering next offseason — which will be one of the craziest free agency periods ever — with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, rookie Hugo Gonzalez, and nobody else under contract might be the best way to approach the future of this team. It also might be — indirectly — what the decision-makers are doing by not-so-subtly trying to evade the luxury tax. No luxuries for the Celtics in 2025-26, I suppose.