While many still aren’t satisfied with the explanation, the Celtics have rationalized their plan of trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George and draft picks as best they can. They’ve made up their minds and followed the path they deem fit. By signing Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, plus waiving Dalano Banton, the team sits below the luxury tax line with 14 rostered players.
We could see tweaks on the margins or some moves by the deadline, but more or less, this is likely the roster we’re going to see for the 2026-27 season. I can already hear people groaning through their screens, wondering how they seemingly turned JB into PG and called it an offseason, but there’s much more to it.
This was the first step in a plan that will take time to execute. There’s a reason that Brad Stevens and the Celtics have constantly been preaching a message of optionality, and fans are going to see that come to light sooner rather than later.
Why the new NBA CBA gives Boston total leverage next summer
And Brad is betting that’s going to come into play as soon as next summer. This offseason, we’ve seen the Celtics be one of the first teams to adjust to this new CBA world, getting out ahead of a big contract before it became a disaster, looking to reset their books for the future, and creating the ability to go hunting down the road.
The thing is, these aprons and this CBA are going to come for every team, whether they realize it yet or not. As this season plays out, more and more teams are going to realize the new reality they are stuck in. By next summer, there could be multiple teams that are desperate to shed salary and fix their own books.
And who is going to be there, waiting to add contracts, with full financial flexibility, and assets to burn? None other than the Boston Celtics. Brad has lined things up so that Boston took their medicine this summer, and they’ll be ready to take advantage of everyone else’s misfortunes a year from now.
Celtics can take advantage of desperate teams next summer
It’s too early to know for sure which teams will be raked over the coals, but there will likely be plenty of good players dangled on the market. Just like we saw with the Celtics trying to trade Brown, those teams aren’t going to have leverage with the rest of the league being hesitant to add money and spend to take on salary that’s clearly unwanted.
The Celtics, on the other hand, will have fully reset the repeater tax, a monstrous expiring Paul George contract, and a surplus of draft picks. Brad is going to be able to go out and shop for whatever he wants from all the motivated sellers. He’s going to leverage his position and take advantage of the teams that find themselves in urgent need of relief.
So, it may be hard to see that big picture right now, but Stevens has set the team up to be in a prime position next year. They’ll have as much buying power as anyone in what’s likely to be a strong buyers' market. It’s a bold gamble, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense, and being a year early to adapt to this new reality is going to set the Celtics up to be very good for a very long time.
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