Much of the talk around the NBA in recent years has revolved around the new CBA and the dreaded 2nd apron that has been talked about like a sort of boogeyman for teams to avoid. The idea was for the league to create parity and stop the building of superteams. So far, it’s hard to argue that it hasn’t accomplished that goal, but a lot of good teams have become casualties.
The Celtics were one of the main teams that people pointed at as a group that was ruined too soon by the new CBA, as the front office shaved hundreds of millions off their tax bill last offseason by shipping out veteran stars like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
The roster got significantly cheaper, but it looked like the team was taking a huge step back in terms of actual talent. Many were disappointed that the Celtics seemed intent on taking a gap year (obviously, somewhat facilitated by Jayson Tatum’s achilles injury as well as the financial constraints), resetting their finances, to retool for the future.
Financial crunch has only emphasized Celtics’ strengths
But the thing that people didn’t factor in is that Brad Stevens and his crew are a step ahead of most of the league, and once they had time to adapt to the new rules, they quickly used them to their advantage.
In the moment, it may have seemed like they were giving away talent, but instead, they were moving on at the right time from big contracts. Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have come in on minimum deals and been straight-up better than KP and Al this season.
The veteran departures have opened doors for the Celtics’ player development system to thrive, and they’ve produced one solid rotation player after another on cheap contracts in the form of guys like Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., Hugo Gonzalez, and others.
Celtics may have the deepest roster in the NBA
As a result, the retool has allowed Boston to move on from vets at the right time and build one of the deepest rosters in the league. They now have 12 players who could realistically make a case for playoff minutes, and only Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Nikola Vucevic are making more than $10.1 million this season.
As time goes by, and the Celtics keep taking advantage of these new rules, it’s only going to widen the gap between them and the rest of the league. Brad and company are just better at this than anyone else. It’s why they were able to rebuild on the fly, and despite shedding all this money, the team is just as good, or better, this season.
Exits of guys like Jrue and KP have even opened up opportunities for the stars, and the team makes more sense than ever, funneling everything through the Jays, D-White, and Payton Pritchard. Nobody needs manufactured touches, nobody has an ego, and everyone has completely bought into their roles.
Now, the team is set up for the present and future. Going forward, with their renewed flexibility, the Celtics will be able to spend over the tax, and chase those aprons again, and there’s no reason to think Brad won’t build an even better roster. But no matter what the rules demand, fans should be confident that Stevens and the front office will be ready to take advantage and make the rest of the league look foolish, just as they have this season.
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