Celtics 2026-2027 Discussion

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Fair enough. If that is the grand plan it’s understandable. The problem is it’s hard to say whether there was really any plan at all aside from get Brown off the books.

Pardon my skepticism but it feels like the marching orders are coming from above not with Brad or any kind of plan such as the one you laid out.

Well first, I’m sorry for your frustration. I know he was like your favorite player / someone you enjoyed watching. Are you suggesting that this move was not about basketball but about other things surrounding Brown?

 

[Kdo5]

Well first, I’m sorry for your frustration. I know he was like your favorite player / someone you enjoyed watching. Are you suggesting that this move was not about basketball but about other things surrounding Brown?

I get it about the money. Obviously to me it’s a backwards move that I believe starts to close the door on the core as a whole which should be frustrating especially as the idea of Giannis was clearly their plan.

As far as whether it was basketball related I think it was 80% money. And if it was because of advanced stats, on/off well I’ve made my thoughts on that pretty clear. My mind is not open to being changed until I see them put together a similar regular season and find themselves in ECF or close to it.

I’m interested to see how it goes and how Tatum does when he is solely the head honcho. Almost all contenders have at least one co-star along the superstar. I don’t believe there is any such player on the roster.

 

[1960Pats]

There was a time when I thought that JB was on the same level as JT. I was wrong.

Is it at all possible that JB wanted out and is in favor of being traded?

 

[1960Pats]

Well first, I’m sorry for your frustration. I know he was like your favorite player / someone you enjoyed watching. Are you suggesting that this move was not about basketball but about other things surrounding Brown?

Brown didn't seem happy here.

 

[Kdo5]

There was a time when I thought that JB was on the same level as JT. I was wrong.

Is it at all possible that JB wanted out and is in favor of being traded?

I’m sure he wanted out once the organization basically said to every team in the league they wanna trade him. Who wouldn’t.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The Globe is finally getting around to explaining the logic (if that's the term) on this trade that we've hashed out here pretty well

The problem ultimately is that JB and Tatum have back to back max extensions - that's in part through some good luck in drafting, but it's largely untenable not to have them spaced out by a few years. (They also get into the eyeball test on JB, compared to the analytics the Celtics are clearly guided by)

How Jaylen Brown’s contract likely figured into the Celtics’ decision to deal him to the 76ers - The Boston Globe

Brown was eligible for a two-year, $141 million extension later this month; Jayson Tatum is due for a similar deal next year. Perhaps the Celtics didn't want two players on max deals if it wasn't a championship formula.

www.bostonglobe.com

Sadly, the way to look at this trade is that it's not for next year but the following year when they're out of their cap constraints.

At that point, after next season, they can trade George's expiring contract for a different $60 mil player who they can extend a few years after paying Tatum his extension and exceed the salary cap on the supplemental players.

This also explains why Stevens is drafting guys who might be future max players who will get their G-League and bench time to develop until we get to that next phase (now of course those players might not pan out but they have a higher ceiling than the guys at #27 who are closer to game ready)

So there IS some logic there - it just means that 2026-27 is a gap year. Now even as we say that, we know that JB was able to bring us to a pretty high playoff seed just on his own - and now we get to see if Tatum can do the same thing, but hopefully with someone at Center who can defend and score next season, though it remains to be seen if that player is currently on the roster.

I'm not sure the dealing is done and we might see another trade (White?) but I think they are hoping to keep White and keep him at that $30 million per year contract level.

So there is some basis in logic and the ability to have staggered max contract guys interspaced with the players he's drafting/developing now, who again, have typically been selected as very young, raw, but high ceiling guys, plus a few selected 2nd round draft choices who are older and potentially ready to contribute sooner, though with a lower ceiling - which isn't the worst way to use the draft, especially when you are trying to build the way the Celtics are.

Cenac and Gonzales are good examples along with Prtichard

In the end, Brad is hoping to develop a dynasty that he can afford to keep and replace highly paid veteran stars with younger stars who develop from low paid bench players to low paid (for awhile) quality starters (which is why he was reluctant to trade those guys in the Giannis trade, although I'd definitely prefer that, given that they could have contended with him and Tatum, but instead we're looking at a gap year team that's looking to go over the top not this coming season, but next.

 

[JoeSixPat]

As we're talking about growing players who can be major contributors on contracts far less than the max, Peyton Pritchard is a case in point.

While the main issue was paying JB and Tatum back to back, the notion that Pritchard is also eligible for an extension in October is on the frontburner for the Celtics. He's certainly been one of the most underpaid Celtics, and the game plan is to have guys like Hugo, Cenac, Queta and others fill those affordable salary slots.

The most a team can offer these guys in an extension is set by CBA rules and that's 140% of the NBA average in Peyton's case, which has most ballparking the extension the Celtics hope he accepts at 3 years/$67 million. He had similar constraints which lead to him getting his 4 year $30 mil contract extension last time, which he'll finish here, but he can also reject the extension and opt for Free Agency

Queta's 4 year $57 million contract will hopefully look like a bargain in a few years too, but there's also a bunch of other, younger guys who they will be trying to lock into contracts similar to what Pritchard is getting now.

I think Stevens knows that for long term success, you have to get into a player extension resonance to be able to keep your key all stars and mix them in with all-stars of the future who you've locked into the affordable contracts to afford two top tier guys, maybe 3 depending on how they are staggered... but it's the staggering of contracts that becomes a key factor into creating a team that's a contender every year.

So yes, this is going to be a gap year, but hopefully an exciting gap year like last year's was, but that's effectively the tradeoff for being a sustainable contender. That's of course the financial side of things - players need to play and you need the right players and the right scheme - but this approach also provides some quality depth as there will be players that just don't pan out and players who get injured.

So we've got a LOT of players who have tremendous potential but are on really affordable contracts now, and even their initial extensions will remain affordable. The upside to a gap year I guess is that they actually might get some playing time with guys like Walsh, Gonazales, Schierman etc getting a chance to show they can be part of the future. Heck, we might even see some Cenac time this season, but better to let him develop in G league most of the year.

Celtics roster reset: Depth chart, contracts and more after Jaylen trade

The new-look Celtics roster will take some getting used to. Here's the updated depth chart with contracts and more after the Jaylen Brown trade.

www.nbcsportsboston.com

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Thanks for the breakdown @JoeSixPat

At that point, after next season, they can trade George's expiring contract for a different $60 mil player who they can extend a few years

This part is where it kind of loses me though. Why would any team want to trade a max player who is presumably high value given the Celtics are interested in acquiring him, for a $57 million brick? I assume there would be a barrage of Celtics draft picks included in this yes?

 

[JoeSixPat]

Thanks for the breakdown @JoeSixPat

At that point, after next season, they can trade George's expiring contract for a different $60 mil player who they can extend a few years

This part is where it kind of loses me though. Why would any team want to trade a max player who is presumably high value given the Celtics are interested in acquiring him, for a $57 million brick? I assume there would be a barrage of Celtics draft picks included in this yes?

Because they're jettisoning a contract much in the same way we were with JB - avoiding the commitment to an extension to a player who perhaps no longer fits. We're stuck with George this season but with one more year remaining on his contract at that point, that alone becomes a tradeable commodity for a player in that salary bracket on a longer term contract as they are looking to reboot their cap at that point like we are now.

A team in that situation might trade the longer term player away, break even with George salary wise next year and then even ship HIM off to create a big salary space later in the season and/or trade exception like we got from Simons. as expiring contracts apparently have a value

I think Stevens also sees the current lineups in the East and West and knows that's he's not contending against the Knicks this season and likely not against the Sixers or Heat right now. When he's got things with the players and contract terms where he wants them, he'll be well placed to have us in a dominant position at a time when other teams are rebuilding.

 

[rochrist]

Because Brown's 2 year, $142M extension window is July 26th to October 19th. If they don't sign him for an extra $71M a year for 2 years in the next 3 months, he will play out his existing contract and they get even less value.

If the Celtics pay P George for 1 year (and lose Brown's services), they get two 1st round draft picks. They thought these two extra 1st round picks were worth it. I am not sure if that is good value or not, probably depends on where they end up drafting and who they draft.

You seriously think George is going to opt-out?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

You seriously think George is going to opt-out?

If you follow the thred, it is not that important. If Geroge opts in, then the Celts either trade his expiring contract, or wait one more year. Do you serious think that if Geroge opts in or not, it is that important? The Celts' management believe they were not winning a championship with Brown. No other team was willing to offer anything significant for Brown because the other 28 teams think Brown's contract is not worth his output.

Brown's 2 year extension is due this summer for $71M a year - the Celts were not going to pay that - everyone should agree with that decision. Brown's existing contract expires in 3 years. The Celts did not think they could win a championship with Brown and Tatum taking up 70%+ of the salary cap. Brown is 30 years old and has hit his peak. Brown is at 34% shooting from 3 point range - the Celts will not win a champioinship with that efficciency, and Brown is only going to get worse.

The Celts did not want to be a mid-level team exiting the playoffs in the 1st or 2nd round for the duration of Tatum's contract. The Celts chose to keep Tatum and trade Brown. Hopefully by 2028 Gonzalez and Scheierman have blossomed into above average players, and in 2028 the Celts now have the Clippers 1st round draft pick which should be a lottery pick. We have to reset and have patience to wait until 2028.

What do you disagree with the Celts approach?

 

[1960Pats]

I’m sure he wanted out once the organization basically said to every team in the league they wanna trade him. Who wouldn’t.

I was wondering if it could have been a trade at Brown's request

 

[JoeSixPat]

You seriously think George is going to opt-out?

No he won't but he will be on an expiring contract after next year and will be tradeable to a team that needs to clear cap space quickly and will swap him for a guy on a similar but longer contract.

Effectively that's his value to us as well as it gets them out of Brown's salary slot after next season

Extending Brown one year before extending Tatum was apparently never really in the cards in this offseason

The one trade that would have meant contending rather than having a gap year this coming season was to sign and extend Giannis to anchor the middle, but that too was something that was going to be onerous cap wise as he's eligible for extension next January, and we also know that was basically mortgaging the future by shipping out players and picks for Giannis along with Brown

Instead we've got the potential to peak into a dynasty right as the other contenders this year are coming down from a sugar rush of signings like in Miami and Philly, and as the Knicks have already shown, it's difficult to keep a championship team together long unless its well planned out

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think I remember seeing the records not long ago..... Brown won 36 games last year without JT. Then they went 9-2 without brown...And 13-3 with JT back. Pretty sure those are the numbers or close to them. So I reject the notion that brown carried the team to a second seed. It's just not true. He was apart of it, like everyone else was. He didn't carry anything.

I'm not one to look at numbers and reject them just because they say something I don't want them to say. The facts are what they are. The team seems to do just fine and in many cases better when brown isn't on the court.

 

[bresna]

See, here is where basic stat surfing misses context. The Celtics were 9-2 without Brown. I guess they don't need him. What teams did they play for those 11 games?
1 4/12/2026 vs ORL W 113-108 ORL record 45-37 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer B. Scheierman 30

2 4/9/2026 @ NYK L 106-112 NYK record 53-29 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer J. Tatum 24

3 3/29/2026 @ CHA W 114-99 CHA record 44-38 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer J. Tatum 32

4 3/27/2026 vs ATL W 109-102 ATL record 46-36 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 36

5 3/2/2026 @ MIL W 108-81 MIL record 32-50- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 25

6 2/24/2026 @ PHX W 97-81 PHX record 45-37 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer D. White 22

7 2/4/2026 @ HOU W 114-93 HOU record 52-30 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer D. White 28

8 1/30/2026 vs SAC W 112-93 SAC record 22-60- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 29

9 1/12/2026 @ IND L 96-98 IND record 19-63 - Leading scorer P. Pritchard 23

10 12/20/2025 @ TOR W 112-96 TOR record 46-36 (Playoff team) - Leading scorer P. Pritchard 33

11 12/4/2025 @ WAS W 146-101 WAS record 17-65 - Leading scorer: D. White 30

This basically shows that when Brown was out, the second-leading scorer on the team, Peyton Pritchard or (late season) Jason Tatum, had to step up. Derek White was just behind Pritchard in scoring (16.5 vs 17.0).

This says way more about Peyton Pritchard, Jason Tatum & Derek White than it does about Jaylen Brown. Pritchard's & White's scoring was up dramatically in these games, as expected. When they were missing - the losses against IND & NYK, they lost. So those losses are no more on Jaylen Brown than the wins were.

BTW - the Celtics sat the entire starting team for that Orlando game, hence the odd appearance of Baylor in this list. That game really shouldn't even count as a game "without Brown". If people insist on counting it, we'll have to come up with a new stat: Celtics record when Brown, Tatum, White & Pritchard sit - 1-0. Hey sit them all the time!

 

[borisman]

See, here is where basic stat surfing misses context. The Celtics were 9-2 without Brown. I guess they don't need him. What teams did they play for those 11 games?
1 4/12/2026 vs ORL W 113-108 ORL record 45-37 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer B. Scheierman 30

2 4/9/2026 @ NYK L 106-112 NYK record 53-29 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer J. Tatum 24

3 3/29/2026 @ CHA W 114-99 CHA record 44-38 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer J. Tatum 32

4 3/27/2026 vs ATL W 109-102 ATL record 46-36 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 36

5 3/2/2026 @ MIL W 108-81 MIL record 32-50- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 25

6 2/24/2026 @ PHX W 97-81 PHX record 45-37 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer D. White 22

7 2/4/2026 @ HOU W 114-93 HOU record 52-30 (Playoff team)- Leading scorer D. White 28

8 1/30/2026 vs SAC W 112-93 SAC record 22-60- Leading scorer P. Pritchard 29

9 1/12/2026 @ IND L 96-98 IND record 19-63 - Leading scorer P. Pritchard 23

10 12/20/2025 @ TOR W 112-96 TOR record 46-36 (Playoff team) - Leading scorer P. Pritchard 33

11 12/4/2025 @ WAS W 146-101 WAS record 17-65 - Leading scorer: D. White 30

This basically shows that when Brown was out, the second-leading scorer on the team, Peyton Pritchard or (late season) Jason Tatum, had to step up. Derek White was just behind Pritchard in scoring (16.5 vs 17.0).

This says way more about Peyton Pritchard, Jason Tatum & Derek White than it does about Jaylen Brown. Pritchard's & White's scoring was up dramatically in these games, as expected. When they were missing - the losses against IND & NYK, they lost. So those losses are no more on Jaylen Brown than the wins were.

BTW - the Celtics sat the entire starting team for that Orlando game, hence the odd appearance of Baylor in this list. That game really shouldn't even count as a game "without Brown". If people insist on counting it, we'll have to come up with a new stat: Celtics record when Brown, Tatum, White & Pritchard sit - 1-0. Hey sit them all the time!

On a side-note about this post: Pritchard is a bad ass.

That said, and I'm in no way saying other than what PBS > (President Brad Stevens) already said. And that is their record against the top teams in the league (not just playoff teams) was under .500, I do believe. That is not a championship team contender. Sorry, I can't do that kind of research right now but correct me if I'm wrong. This is where Brad's concern is/was going forward with basically the same team, other than Robinson and Conley Jr. (who's not getting big minutes anyhow). They need solid improvement to make that leap and it wasn't happening this season. But Brad has a plan. You have to believe he does. Next off season, to quote clown and a different team president Sam Kennedy, it's full-throttle (God, I miss Larry Lucchino. It hasn't been the same). The pieces and money are there for it to happen.

 

[bresna]

While I agree that their record against the top teams was poor, there is no simple explanation for these losses. In several of their losses, including the two Brown missed, they shot very poorly and lacking a strong rebounder (who wasn't always in foul trouble) hurt them on the offensive glass. This was where Tatum's presence on the floor was really missed. And let's be honest - the lack of this kind of player was Brad's fault. Vucevic certainly wasn't the answer.

I'd also point out that there were a lot of games this year where the refs heavily influenced the outcome. The worst was the one where the refs basically handed the Spurs one of their wins, refusing to call any fouls on Brown's drives to the hoop while whistling the Celtics for coming anywhere near a Spurs player and then ejecting Brown for complaining about it. That crew should have been investigated after that fiasco.

It will be interesting to see if Brown gets those calls now that he's on the Sixers. I'll laugh my ass off if he gets those calls against the Celtics while he gets away with hacking JT on his drives to the hoop.

 

[rochrist]

If you follow the thred, it is not that important. If Geroge opts in, then the Celts either trade his expiring contract, or wait one more year. Do you serious think that if Geroge opts in or not, it is that important? The Celts' management believe they were not winning a championship with Brown. No other team was willing to offer anything significant for Brown because the other 28 teams think Brown's contract is not worth his output.

Brown's 2 year extension is due this summer for $71M a year - the Celts were not going to pay that - everyone should agree with that decision. Brown's existing contract expires in 3 years. The Celts did not think they could win a championship with Brown and Tatum taking up 70%+ of the salary cap. Brown is 30 years old and has hit his peak. Brown is at 34% shooting from 3 point range - the Celts will not win a champioinship with that efficciency, and Brown is only going to get worse.

The Celts did not want to be a mid-level team exiting the playoffs in the 1st or 2nd round for the duration of Tatum's contract. The Celts chose to keep Tatum and trade Brown. Hopefully by 2028 Gonzalez and Scheierman have blossomed into above average players, and in 2028 the Celts now have the Clippers 1st round draft pick which should be a lottery pick. We have to reset and have patience to wait until 2028.

What do you disagree with the Celts approach?

I think it's going to be a bit harder to trade A 57 million dollar garbage contract for anything other than more garbage, so you've gaIned nothing.

I disagree with the notion that Tatum is the guy to carry this team. We're going to go back to the days of JT walking it up the court and then pounding the ball for 10 seconds before taking a questionable 3. His 3 point shooting has declined. He's averaging less than 35 percent over the past four seasons.

 

[JoeSixPat]

For those wondering about the "analytics" that prompted Stevens not to want to extend Brown (as that's really what this trade comes down to) the Sixers are taking a closer look at Brown's analytics noting these were some of the areas of concern that the Celtics had in extending him

Sixers film study: The aspects of Jaylen Brown's game worth being worried about

Jaylen Brown's flaws are not simply products of mathematical calculations. The eye test also prompts some red flags in the game of the Sixers' newest star.

www.phillyvoice.com

It's an interesting read but to me, the eyeball test for a guy counts more and in Brown they've got a guy who averages 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists a game and has the ability to win a game single-handedly

Ironically that's kindof his downside too given those 5 assists a game given the minutes he plays, indicating he's more about taking shots than creating them for others.

But the Sixers still swapped a mediocre player for a great one - plus draft picks over the next 5 years - and while I still think the bottom line is that JB and JT's extensions are back to back was a big factor, the notion that JB's game doesn't quite fit the C's game plan clearly was also a factor.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

I came across these lovely stats.

Here are Jaylens stats In each of the last 3 series where the Celtics have been eliminated:

PHI - 25.7 PPG 5.7 RPG 3.3 ASTS 3.5 TOVs 55.1% TS

NYK - 21.3 PPG 6.7 RPG 5.2 ASTS 4.6 TOVS 49.6% TS

MIA - 19.0 PPG 6.1 RPG 3.4 ASTS 3.5 TOVs 46.4% TS

To contrast, here are Tatum’s stats.

PHI - 23.3 PPG 10.7 RPG 6.8 ASTS 2.8 TOVs 60.8% TS

NYK - 25.5 PPG 11.8 RPG 5.5 ASTS 3.7 TOVs 52.2% TS

MIA - 25.3 PPG 10.3 RPG 5.4 ASTS 3.7 TOVs 58.8% TS

The eye test is objectively the worst thing to go by. The numbers don't have feelings. They don't have bias. They don't miss things. The eye test can tell you whatever you want it to. My eye test for example tells me exactly what I see in the numbers. Someone else's eye test could tell them Brown is a very efficient mega superstar. I know plenty of people's eye test has Kobe top 2 player of all time. It's laughable. Eye test matters but only as another tool to use. In place of the actual data tho? Absolutely not.