Change was needed for the Boston Celtics this summer. They didn't want to part with Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis, but the punitive, parody-driving nature of the collective bargaining agreement forced their hand.
As the organization's president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, repeatedly reiterated on the heels of the first round of the draft, the franchise needed to regain flexibility.
"There clearly is a need to prioritize regaining our flexibility and maximizing, from an asset standpoint, what we can," said Stevens Wednesday night at the Auerbach Center.
"I think the second apron basketball penalties are real, and I'm not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month. That can't be overstated."
The Celtics are now under the second apron by $4.5 million. However, more moves must come for it to stay that way after filling out their roster. There's also the question of whether the team wanted to use this season, with Jayson Tatum rehabbing a torn Achilles, to get under the first apron.
And what about dipping below the luxury tax threshold? Boston is $15.1 million above that line, per NBA salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan of capsheets.com.
The Celtics could reroute Anfernee Simons' expiring $27.7 million contract to shed more salary. Stevens labeling re-signing free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet as "priorities" signals the team's willingness to remain over the first apron, let alone the luxury tax threshold.
However, that wasn't going to stop teams from trying to blow away Boston in hopes of prying Jaylen Brown or Derrick White.
The Celtics' intentions are clear
Everyone has a price. And the situation Boston finds itself in had fans feeling uneasy entering the draft. The right package of picks, young NBA talent, and financial relief could've meant saying goodbye to players paramount to Banner 18. Individuals they've bonded with and will forever feel a connection to.
However, day 1 of the draft came and went. The San Antonio Spurs stood pat with the second overall pick and selected Dylan Harper. No other team in the top 10 reached an agreement or perhaps even came close to a blockbuster trade with the Celtics.
And if reading the tea leaves didn't signal that Brown and White aren't going anywhere, the organization's vice president of basketball operations and team counsel, Mike Zarren, made it abundantly clear.
"Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn't been anything close to serious about trading them," said Zarren, who laughed off the prospect of parting with either player while speaking with the media after day 2 of the draft. "I'm not sure where all this reporting came from, but those guys are key parts of our team, and we're lucky to have them here."
Brown and White will help lead the way as the Celtics navigate what appears poised to be a gap year without Tatum. However, upon the latter's return, the organization seems intent on returning to championship contention.