The Boston Celtics did it. One year removed from the team's 18th NBA Championship, the Celtics were forced to part ways with both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to get under the second luxury tax apron. As a result, the team's depth chart took a major blow.
Boston did well given the circumstances, despite what the talking heads in sports media will tell you. It's hard to shed that much salary and actually get impact players in return. The Celtics did the best they could, but that doesn't change how bleak next year's depth chart looks.
The 2025-26 season is mostly going to be a wash for the Celtics anyway with Jayson Tatum likely on the shelf for the entire year. That makes this depth chart easier to swallow, but doesn't make it any prettier. With more moves on the horizon, here are how things currently look in Boston:
Position | Starter | Backup | Third string |
|---|---|---|---|
PG: | Derrick White | Payton Pritchard | J.D. Davidson |
SG: | Anfernee Simons | Baylor Scheierman | |
SF: | Jaylen Brown | Sam Hauser | Jordan Walsh |
PF: | Georges Niang | ||
C: | Neemias Queta | Xavier Tillman Sr. |
Updated Celtics depth chart is bleak without Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis
Turns out losing three of your five best players has a negative impact on the depth chart. Without Tatum, Holiday and Porzingis, the Celtics' depth chart looks much worse than it did two months ago.
To be fair, there is still an area of opportunity for this group. Jaylen Brown will get a full season as the No. 1 scoring option and he has a solid backcourt duo to support it. Anfernee Simons will be a decent enough second scoring option while Derrick White provides his usual all-around impact.
However, any potential in the backcourt is negated by the concerns in the frontcourt. Georges Niang is not someone who should be starting at the four, and quite frankly, the Celtics may very well go small and start Hauser. That doesn't make it much better, though.
The center position is just as bleak with Al Horford and Luke Kornet set to hit free agency. This is absolutely an area of need for Boston as re-signing Horford or Kornet may not be a viable solution for the team.
The Celtics have the No. 28 and No. 32 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft but finding impact players that late is easier said than done. Boston might be able to wiggle a minimum signing or two in there, but that is contingent on how far they fall below the second apron.
Either way, this is a far cry from the team that won a championship just a year ago.