Will Celtics' early-season surge alter Brad Stevens' trade objectives? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Even after Brad Stevens completed a summer roster overhaul designed to get the Boston Celtics off the NBA’s prohibitive second apron, it was fair to wonder if the team might prioritize other cost-cutting measures over the course of the 2025-26 season with hopes of maximizing long-term financial flexibility.
But as we near December 15 and the unofficial start of NBA trade season — most players who signed this past summer become trade eligible on that date — we can’t help but wonder if the expectation-exceeding Celtics might be classified as buyers rather than sellers before the February deadline.
When the Celtics made the swallow-hard decision to part ways with members of their championship core in Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, it not only dropped the team south of the second apron, it created a pathway to getting out of the luxury tax entirely. And from the moment that Boston acquired Anfernee Simons from the Blazers, some have pondered where he might eventually be redirected.
Moving Simons’ money could get the Celtics below the tax. Alas, to eliminate pesky repeater penalties, the team would need to stay out of the tax for multiple seasons. That has always felt unlikely if the Celtics yearn to truly maximize the primes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Preserving the option was at least worth consideration.
But with the Celtics — winners of five straight and 10 of their last 12 overall while shuffling up to third in the Eastern Conference — surging into December, the question becomes whether it would be more prudent to address depth concerns now, even if it means lingering in the tax and essentially eliminating any near-term pathway to avoiding repeater penalties.
Tatum’s potential return in the calendar year 2026 and what feels like a very wide open Eastern Conference might only fuel the team’s desire to stay all-in.
The Celtics, despite their recent success, remain undersized. While Neemias Queta has been a revelation — Boston is 15.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than off — the team has elected to play small rather than utilize some of its other available bigs (such as Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman) as part of its recent climb.
If Tatum were to return after the February trade deadline, no team in the league would add a talent as impactful — and certainly not at Boston’s cost, which is only patience. The question is whether Boston would be willing to part with available assets to add another center and further inject the team into the conversation among the East contenders.
There is a world in which Stevens could straddle two tracks. Simons is making $26.7 million in the final year of his contract. The Celtics are roughly $12.1 million above the luxury tax. There is a series of moves that could swap Simons for a rotation big while still shedding money.
It’s also possible the team sees Simons’ offense as vital to staying competitive this season. Even if the Celtics carried Simons for the remainder of the season, his money comes off the books after the season (and there would be potential pathways to using him as an asset this summer).
Boston is on pace to pay just south of $40 million in its tax bill this season given its current spend. The Celtics are nearly $8 million below the second apron, and about $4 million above the first apron.
In a league where many of their chief rivals are handcuffed by apron restrictions in their own quests to compete, the Celtics have positioned themselves to be advantageous. They can always wait until the summer to splurge, and with a healthy Tatum and the development of this year’s roster, the team would be positioned to return to true title contention during the 2026-27 season.
But Boston’s recent success makes it tempting to get even more greedy.
In the two weeks before this NBA Cup schedule downshift, the Celtics posted wins over chief East rivals including Orlando, Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and Toronto. The Celtics have a league-best nine wins against teams .500 or better. They are putting up video game numbers on the offensive end while muscling up to second in the NBA in offensive rating (trailing only Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets).
Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, and Hugo Gonzalez have emerged as versatile wings who have only scratched the surface on what they might eventually become.
If the Celtics remain 1) healthy and 2) competitive through the early portion of January, it sure gives Stevens a bit more to think about. As the buyers and sellers become more apparent, there could be opportunity to shore up the center depth, even if Tatum’s eventual return could go a long way toward alleviating Boston’s defensive rebounding woes.
It’s hard not to look at some teams steamrolling towards the lottery and ponder their desire to move big men. Would the Clippers deal Ivica Zubac if the wheels come off completely this season? Would the Nets entertain offers for Nic Claxton while plotting their future? Is there an even bigger swing to make at the big man spot if a team like, say, Memphis hits the reboot button?
The Celtics, both by making tough choices this summer and watching their replacements soar in the aftermath, have positioned themselves to ponder all possibilities. It might come to pass that staying idle and simply leaning into patience is the best path.
But the last two weeks have made it OK to dream a little bigger. The Celtics have added a bit of intrigue to trade season when it opens on December 15.
