Cap expert answers major question about Celtics' future minutes after title

It finally happened. The Boston Celtics are NBA champions. After years of coming up short in the playoffs and endless questions about whether Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could really reach the mountaintop together, all the doubters have been silenced. The Celtics finished the postseason with a stunning 16-3 record and took home their first championship since 2008.

They did it behind a dominant team effort. Besides the Jays, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and others all played their roles to a tee. It sounds cliche, but truly no one on this team cared who won the Finals MVP, and everyone was happy to simply get the job done. At the same time, Jaylen Brown's 20.8 points, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in the Finals was certainly a performance deserving of the award.

As Boston and their fans look to the future, there may be some concerns about the feasability of keeping this championship squad together long-term. After all, the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement carries with it significant spending limits, and the first and second apron restrictions are already threatening to tear apart well-built and accomplished teams across the league.

But just minutes after the Finals concluded, ESPN's NBA Front Office Insider and resident cap expert Bobby Marks released his full offseason guide (subscription required). In it, he explains that at least for now, the Celtics are safe from finances breaking up this team.

Bobby Marks says the new CBA will not break up the Celtics

As Marks details, Boston is in a unique position in that they "at least for now and next season, have negated the spending rules that are supposed to scare teams in how rosters are built." Essentially, the Celtics are built for long-term success because of the deep talent that exists from the top to the bottom of their roster. The fact they will be returning their entire starting five and presumably 12 players in total makes them early favorites to repeat as champions in 2024-25.

The Celtics' President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, got the team to this point by being incredibly tactful and taking a slightly different approach than the rest of the talented tax-paying teams around the association. In all their dealings to acquire high-end role players like Holiday and Porzingis, they avoided sacrificing their entire collection of draft picks. Boston still owns their own first-round pick in every year but one from now until 2031.

This situation runs in stark contrast to the ones teams like the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers find themselves in right now. Those teams are running up a high payroll just like the Celtics, but they left no flexibility for their front office in the meantime. Meanwhile, Boston is in position to run it back and potentially win another title.

In his piece, Marks acknowledges that the Celtics' depth could take a hit in 2025 when White, Horford and Sam Hauser all hit free agency and other contract extensions kick in. But for now, Boston can relish in their NBA-record 18th championship and look forward to very possibly ending up back on this stage once again next June.