Celtics 2025-2026 Discussion

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

If I'm going to keep a player it's Pritchard and not Hauser (I'm open to trading White too but we know demand isn't high at his salary

I'm not sure how Hauser winds up getting a bigger contract than Pritchard but I don't think you're going to find someone with more value for his $8 mil a year contract that he's locked into for a few more years.

With 3 teams potentially being involved in a Giannis trade if it happens we could see other players in the mix beyond Center

It really comes down to whether JB wants to stay or is open to maybe going to Atlanta, his hometown, which is among the rumors as the 3rd team

I feel like they can get an all-start center after next season, keep the Jays, and still contend with a very good C in the Simons trade exception - and then they have the Jays for a potential dynasty.

Once they're out of the luxury tax reboot years I don't really care if they have to extend Pritchard for more - but they don't need to extend him until 2028

I do think we have enough shooters in the wing to take Hauser's place so if someone else needs to be part of a trade, I'll nominate him - but I prefer to keep the Jays together and forgo Giannis.

Pritchard is one of the best over age 25 assets in the league. Of course, the Celtics are looking at bringing in a notable, proven player, or in the case of Giannis, an MVP candidate. They’ll need to pony up.

 

[UrbanCowboy]

I wouldn't want him if he were available

I see the chatter on trading JB for Giannis - their salaries are a decent match though it's unclear if we'd need to sweeten the pot. There's also talk of a 3 team trade that sends Brown to Atlanta

The Lakers are in the mix for Giannis as well but apparently Luka doesn't want them to trade Reeves as part of that

I'd be more open to trading Derrick White although the salaries don't match - even if they threw in Hauser who is also mentioned in trade rumors. Although I think maybe they could use what's allocated to Vooch and cover his salary without triggering the luxury tax

That being said, White's stats for this year aren't as bad as everyone seems to think (though he sure didn't make his mark in the playoffs)

They of course don't actually need to trade anyone - they have the $27.5 million from Simmons which I'd think could land them a better stopgap C for another season - perhaps a big guy on a reasonable under $30 mil contract who is expecting a big extension in 2027 when they will be able to spend again

I guess whether JB stays comes down to whether Stevens thinks his other 3 point shooters - plus Giannis' points (and rebounds - can fill that scoring gap.

You can make a case it would, depending on who else they trade - though the teams isn't so much in need of Giannis' points as it is in his presence in the middle and there might be lower scoring, more affordable Cs on the trade market with the Simmons exemption.

My thought process is that they can be a better team this year without trading Brown, and then in 2027/28 they'd have the ability to sign an even better long term C than Giannis who will be 2 years older by then

Basically I think a JB/Giannis trade will make us better next season but I'd prefer to have the Jays remain together, along with a legit C, for another long-term run starting in 2028

I know it's been said, but add me to the "please Lord, no Giannis." That will finish me off from watching. I do like the idea of breaking up the J's, but not Giannis. [I know... but who then? I'll have to get back to you on that, haha].

 

[ViperGTS]

I know it's been said, but add me to the "please Lord, no Giannis." That will finish me off from watching. I do like the idea of breaking up the J's, but not Giannis. [I know... but who then? I'll have to get back to you on that, haha].

I'm almost on board with trading both Tatum and Brown and bottoming out again. Then again the NBA won't allow the Cs to get a generational player if one was in the draft. You are seeing it play out in San Antonio right now with Wemby. Then it will be Dallas' turn with Flagg.

 

[aluminum seats]

I’m team Giannis 100%.

I will say this, I feel about Brad the way I did about Belichick back in the day when he knew what he was doing. If they bring him on board I’ll be even more excited about it because I trust his judgment, and if they don’t (or more specifically if they don’t really make an effort) then that will tell me something too. I guess we’ll see.

 

[borisman]

on to some draft talk as well.
This guy can flat out shoot (look at his 3 point %) and I hope the C's draft him. He gets the shot off as fast as I've seen anyone do it. I know it would be redundant with Hauser and Big Shot Bob on the team but if the C's move on from Hauser, this guy is worth a look.

Milan Momcilovic College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Milan Momcilovic - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

 

[bresna]

on to some draft talk as well.
This guy can flat out shoot (look at his 3 point %) and I hope the C's draft him. He gets the shot off as fast as I've seen anyone do it. I know it would be redundant with Hauser and Big Shot Bob on the team but if the C's move on from Hauser, this guy is worth a look.

Milan Momcilovic College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Milan Momcilovic - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

They'd probably have to use their 1st round pick on him as he will likely not be there at #40 (the Cs 2nd round pick). Using their first round pick on him seems unlikely given their obvious need for a big body. I suppose if they land a big before the draft, this might work.

 

[borisman]

They'd probably have to use their 1st round pick on him as he will likely not be there at #40 (the Cs 2nd round pick). Using their first round pick on him seems unlikely given their obvious need for a big body. I suppose if they land a big before the draft, this might work.

I agree he may not be there at 40. If the C's go BPA in the first (seems like Brad wants to trade out of the first again for $$ purposes) at 27, it may be a ballhandling guard (Christian Anderson/Ebuka Okorie..who is not a great passer) or combo forward (Josh Jefferson), but all the quality bigs will be off the board. You'd have to choose between the like of Bidunga/Chinyelu. Zuby is just too short to but man is he a good player. If they really set on a big early then Tarris Reed might be the guy. And he's a big dude. Embiid would hate playing against him, though he'd likely foul him out. This is where trading the better second rounder (edit: actually I think it was only two spots lower so maybe nm) in the Vucevic deal may cost a great shooter like Momcilovic. I'm surprised he's ranked so low on some sites. I know he couldn't hit water in a boat in the last tourney game but he's a feared shooter and will translate well to the NBA.

 

[Real fan 02]

Says something

We need to get away from positionless basketball.. we aren't far off just need a few pieces.. nonetheless..the team has been in the ECF, NBA finals and been a playoff team consistently the last 10 seasons.. that's impressive!!

 

[JoeSixPat]

on to some draft talk as well.
This guy can flat out shoot (look at his 3 point %) and I hope the C's draft him. He gets the shot off as fast as I've seen anyone do it. I know it would be redundant with Hauser and Big Shot Bob on the team but if the C's move on from Hauser, this guy is worth a look.

Milan Momcilovic College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Milan Momcilovic - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

I think they will go C in the draft

Someone like Henri Veesaar could be available - he's much less of a prospect and more ready to contribute than most. He can hit the 3 as well although its the inside offense and D that I care about.

Celtics Projected To Draft 7-Foot Estonian Center In First Round Of NBA Draft | NESN

The Boston Celtics have the No. 27 overall pick in the NBA Draft, and USA Today projects they will select a University of North Carolina product.

nesn.com

 

[JoeSixPat]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2026/05/celtics-host-3-players-for-predraft-workouts-including-13-year-nba-veterans-son.html

these guys all strike me as players that could be there at #40 too

 

[aluminum seats]

Wow, two amazing games to start the conference finals. I went to bed last night, pretty surprised to wake up to that score. And Wemby is ridiculous

 

[UrbanCowboy]

Wow, two amazing games to start the conference finals. I went to bed last night, pretty surprised to wake up to that score. And Wemby is ridiculous

I almost turned off knicks game ... they were playing so awful. and then, boom, coming back from 20+ in 7 minutes. Brunson was insane. you really gotta pay the full 48

 

[RobertWeathers]

I almost turned off knicks game ... they were playing so awful. and then, boom, coming back from 20+ in 7 minutes. Brunson was insane. you really gotta pay the full 48

Knicks are a resilient bunch. Hell, we had 'em down 20 twice in G1 and G2 last year and they came back and won both.

 

[RobertWeathers]

We need to get away from positionless basketball.. we aren't far off just need a few pieces.. nonetheless..the team has been in the ECF, NBA finals and been a playoff team consistently the last 10 seasons.. that's impressive!!

This whole "positionless" concept is garbage. Based on their size, skill, and abilities, coaches put players in positions where they can succeed. For instance Pritch isn't playing small forward and JB isn't playing point guard.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

This whole "positionless" concept is garbage. Based on their size, skill, and abilities, coaches put players in positions where they can succeed. For instance Pritch isn't playing small forward and JB isn't playing point guard.

Positionless sounds clever.

 

[Real fan 02]

Positionless sounds clever.

That's how you like your Asian ladies...

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

That's how you like your Asian ladies...

Absolutely!! Your best post of the year.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Looks like the local media universe is warming to the idea of Brown for Giannis

Chad Finn makes some good points, but I think he's too dismissive of Giannis' health and age. Yes, he's about the same age as KG was but one only need to look at last season where he played half as many games as JB

That's a lot to pay and trade for a guy who you may need to keep on the shelf during the season to make sure he's healthy for the playoffs.

There's also an implied "does JB still fit with the Celtics after this season" suggesting he and Tatum are no longer in sync about their leadership roles on the team. I'm not sure if that's true but ultimately I guess the question becomes whether JB wants to play here or if he wants to move on to a third team in a trade such as his hometown Hawks.

If JB wants out then the decision becomes a little easier - but you still have to ask the question if Giannis and Tatum plus all the other role players are enough. I would disagree with Finn that the missing piece at C needs to be someone of Giannis' caliber and paycheck. There's a bunch of dependable 2 pt scoring bruisers in the 10-15 point range with big rebounding and defensive ability. They, along with the Jays and our other players I believe would be enough to truly contend next year and then go shopping for the right big guy in 2027 when they can spend more.

 

[Real fan 02]

Absolutely!! Your best post of the year.

My aspiration is to leave you impressed...

 

[UrbanCowboy]

Looks like the local media universe is warming to the idea of Brown for Giannis

Chad Finn makes some good points, but I think he's too dismissive of Giannis' health and age. Yes, he's about the same age as KG was but one only need to look at last season where he played half as many games as JB

That's a lot to pay and trade for a guy who you may need to keep on the shelf during the season to make sure he's healthy for the playoffs.

There's also an implied "does JB still fit with the Celtics after this season" suggesting he and Tatum are no longer in sync about their leadership roles on the team. I'm not sure if that's true but ultimately I guess the question becomes whether JB wants to play here or if he wants to move on to a third team in a trade such as his hometown Hawks.

If JB wants out then the decision becomes a little easier - but you still have to ask the question if Giannis and Tatum plus all the other role players are enough. I would disagree with Finn that the missing piece at C needs to be someone of Giannis' caliber and paycheck. There's a bunch of dependable 2 pt scoring bruisers in the 10-15 point range with big rebounding and defensive ability. They, along with the Jays and our other players I believe would be enough to truly contend next year and then go shopping for the right big guy in 2027 when they can spend more.

can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'd prefer to keep Brown over Tatum now ... if there is a split.