Celtics 2025-2026 Discussion

[borisman]

I may be wrong but I think the C's have to stay under 1st apron next season to completely reset/stay under the repeater penalty.
Brad knows what he's doing and the C's just redid an additional TPE ($27 million or so). So the C's have that for a full year and they could again do a similar trade, like Simons, this off-season and reacquire/extend another TPE after a full reset next season.
I wish I knew more about how that process works but I'm glad when others seem to explain it like to a six year old. That's the best kind of explanation I look for.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I may be wrong but I think the C's have to stay under 1st apron next season to completely reset/stay under the repeater penalty.
Brad knows what he's doing and the C's just redid an additional TPE ($27 million or so). So the C's have that for a full year and they could again do a similar trade, like Simons, this off-season and reacquire/extend another TPE after a full reset next season.
I wish I knew more about how that process works but I'm glad when others seem to explain it like to a six year old. That's the best kind of explanation I look for.

I think they may have done that as they sent Tillman to Charlotte

Looks like Zubac did get traded after all - but for two decent players, plus two first round draft picks.

Stevens got similar C numbers without giving up draft picks, albeit for an older player on an expiring contract, so credit to him on his plan B.

But some signficant re-shuffling of the deck around the NBA

 

[ViperGTS]

Brad and Zarren are quite the smart ****ers. There is a reason that when ownership came in, there was zero chatter about moving on from Stevens et al. Nothing. They know what they have and aren't gonna get rid of it.

Like all the trades they made.

 

[borisman]

Brad Stevens tore this team apart. We went from a title contender to a lottery team by dumping all these contracts.
Oh wait, they're the what seed in the standings?
Actually, I thought we'd be a .500, at best.
Brad Stevens for Exec of the Year!!
Coach Mazz for next Governor and Coach of the Year!!

 

[JoeSixPat]

Brad Stevens tore this team apart. We went from a title contender to a lottery team by dumping all these contracts.
Oh wait, they're the what seed in the standings?
Actually, I thought we'd be a .500, at best.
Brad Stevens for Exec of the Year!!
Coach Mazz for next Governor and Coach of the Year!!

Nice tip of the hat to Mazzula who should be a local as coach of the year. And this is a guy who many of us rightfully criticized for his coaching mistakes early on when he was forced into the role. He's really grown as a coach as much as his players.

Sam Cassell I think doesn't get enough credit as well - and I'm thankfully amazed when he's not in the discussion for open head coaching positions.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The moves DO allow Celtics to get under the first salary cap apron as they shed nearly $8 million in salaries avoiding the repeater tax - which is a HUGE boost to them spending $ over the next few years.

They also still have the ability to sign a player via the buyout market regardless of salary - guys like Lonzo Ball, former Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. and former Nets guard Cam Thomas and other veterans who are expected to be waived in coming days who could be available before the March 1 deadline.

If they think there's any chance Tatum isn't back for the playoffs they should sign someone like Cam Thomas immediately as he can still score

Signing Ron Harper Jr. is another option to fill that final roster spot for the playoffs (Amari Williams is eligible for the playoffs having signed a 2 yr deal - but he can still play in Maine until then.)

While I think they would have ideally preferred to keep Minot, he's only on a team option for next year so I could see him being cut loose by the Nets and available next offseason.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

The moves DO allow Celtics to get under the first salary cap apron as they shed nearly $8 million in salaries avoiding the repeater tax - which is a HUGE boost to them spending $ over the next few years.

They also still have the ability to sign a player via the buyout market regardless of salary - guys like Lonzo Ball, former Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. and former Nets guard Cam Thomas and other veterans who are expected to be waived in coming days who could be available before the March 1 deadline.

If they think there's any chance Tatum isn't back for the playoffs they should sign someone like Cam Thomas immediately as he can still score

Signing Ron Harper Jr. is another option to fill that final roster spot for the playoffs (Amari Williams is eligible for the playoffs having signed a 2 yr deal - but he can still play in Maine until then.)

While I think they would have ideally preferred to keep Minot, he's only on a team option for next year so I could see him being cut loose by the Nets and available next offseason.

The Celtics are below the 1st and 2nd Apron AND the Luxury Tax threshold. But the Luxury Tax level still applies if the team is over for 3 of the last 4 years. So if the Celtics want to stop paying the Luxury Tax they have stay below that threshold this year and next. It is curious that the Celtics are about $1M below the LT threshold which seems too convenient to be a coincidence. If not a coincidence, they are not adding any more players.

The Celtics can play a game like sign a veteran for the minimum which is about a $2M cap hit. Then they have to let a player go that has a $1M hit to stay below the Luxury Tax threshold. I am not sure if they care to stay below the threshold, but it is curious that their moves put them $1M+ below the LT threshold. I am guessing we will not see any big moves this year.

 

[jimnance]

Anybody else watch UConn/St.Johns ?
Man that was an intense game.
St.John's starting to live up that #5 preseason ranking. They had a lot of new faces and taken em awhile to mesh but they look like a legit Final Four contender. That big dude is really good. But UConn is still better imo despite the road loss.
Lot of future nba players in that game

 

[aluminum seats]

Nice comeback tonight

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Lol…

 

[jimnance]

Lol…

So how many years in a row has he done this? Gotta be at least the last 3.
Even when his shooting his off he's always a major contributor to winning

 

[RobertWeathers]

Anybody else watch UConn/St.Johns ?
Man that was an intense game.
St.John's starting to live up that #5 preseason ranking. They had a lot of new faces and taken em awhile to mesh but they look like a legit Final Four contender. That big dude is really good. But UConn is still better imo despite the road loss.
Lot of future nba players in that game

Pitino may not be the best person or knew what he was doing in the NBA but he is absolutely one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Pitino may not be the best person or knew what he was doing in the NBA but he is absolutely one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.

Mazzula is kindof making Pitino's attempt to bring college speed to the NBA

It didn't work for that era and Pitino didn't quite grasp that you can't run 100% of the time, but Mazzula's rotation of keeping his A and B teams fresh is clearly working in the regular season - it's just that when it comes to the playoffs you've got to be able to get points and rebounds inside.

I love that Queta continues to get the starts too

 

[JoeSixPat]

I think it's unfair to Simons to look at the points per game when comparing him to Vučević. That 39 point outburst by Simons against the Heat... without that, they lose that game. Simons can do that whenever it's needed. I don't think Vučević has that in him.

Interestingly last night's game was one where EVERYONE was cold from the 3s and that led to a 21 point deficit

In the end they won thanks in part to Vucevic's double double (and the fact that they began to heat up from 3) but I'd say this is typically where Simons would come off the bench with a hot hand when everyone else was cold and kept them in a game.

I don't second guess trading him - but just acknowledging that yes, in those circumstances, in the absence of Tatum, Simons was the key to some wins. Despite a lot of Portland folks chortling that we got "taken" in the Jrue trade, Simons has shown himself to be a true baller and while I don't think he's getting the same salary in his next contract, he won't have a hard time finding a job

 

[ausbacker]

Nice tip of the hat to Mazzula who should be a local as coach of the year. And this is a guy who many of us rightfully criticized for his coaching mistakes early on when he was forced into the role. He's really grown as a coach as much as his players.

Sam Cassell I think doesn't get enough credit as well - and I'm thankfully amazed when he's not in the discussion for open head coaching positions.

I've never been much of a fan but IMO, the mark of a good coach is player improvement. This team has shown that in spades and while I still don't like the over-reliance on threes, what Joe and his assistants have done this season cannot be argued against.

 

[Kdo5]

I've never been much of a fan but IMO, the mark of a good coach is player improvement. This team has shown that in spades and while I still don't like the over-reliance on threes, what Joe and his assistants have done this season cannot be argued against.

Mazzula is one of the best coaches in the league. This year has validated it.

Vuc looked promising out there. Although his defense leaves something to be desired his offensive game is going to be very helpful. I didn’t know he had the good passing instincts.

 

[bresna]

Interestingly last night's game was one where EVERYONE was cold from the 3s and that led to a 21 point deficit

In the end they won thanks in part to Vucevic's double double (and the fact that they began to heat up from 3) but I'd say this is typically where Simons would come off the bench with a hot hand when everyone else was cold and kept them in a game.

I don't second guess trading him - but just acknowledging that yes, in those circumstances, in the absence of Tatum, Simons was the key to some wins. Despite a lot of Portland folks chortling that we got "taken" in the Jrue trade, Simons has shown himself to be a true baller and while I don't think he's getting the same salary in his next contract, he won't have a hard time finding a job

Today's loss to the Knicks is definitely one where Simons' shooting might have turned this game around. They were a putrid 7/41 from beyond the arc today. Vooch didn't help much at all, which was my biggest concern when they traded Simons for the big guy. He shot 5-13 (1-6 from 3) and had a whole 6 rebounds.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Today's loss to the Knicks is definitely one where Simons' shooting might have turned this game around. They were a putrid 7/41 from beyond the arc today. Vooch didn't help much at all, which was my biggest concern when they traded Simons for the big guy. He shot 5-13 (1-6 from 3) and had a whole 6 rebounds.

I'll still stand by the trade because I think they need the inside offense that he brings for the playoffs

Ideally we see them get big leads and then use a triangle offense to get it inside to Vooch for 2 easy points inside or have him kick it out to one of many great shooters (including Tatum hopefully) for an open 3

We saw them do this effectively with Porzingas and while I think the offense has evolved since then, I think we all know it's a "live by the 3, die by the 3" scenario with this team and they can really benefit from tacking on high percentage 2s instead of lower percentage 3s once they have a lead.

Given all the quality offensive players we have on this team right now it's crazy to think they'd all remain cold together at the same time like we've seen in the last 2 games - but there we have it, and while I'm not sure Simons would have made a difference against the Knicks, it does show that Simons can be a difference maker and his absence now will cost them a few regular season games

But given the need for depth and offense at C in the playoffs, I'm willing to accept regular season losses in return for playoff wins, just the way I was willing to accept Porzingas and Horford being as unavailable as Simons now is if that bought us some playoff wins thanks to them later.

I was really disappointed to see Cam Thomas get picked up by the Bucks. We could have used his ball handing and offense and it wouldn't have impacted the cap. I would have thought he'd be a good fit and maybe Stevens got outbid, but hopefully he'll add someone else to help out until Tatum hopefully comes back

 

[ViperGTS]

Tatum will be back after the All Star break at some point. So that alone is a big, big addition.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Porzingis has been injured and was dumped in a trade. Poor guy. Great talent but he will never amount to anything.

As of February 10, 2026, newly acquired Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis is sidelined with a left Achilles injury and a lingering illness, with a planned return expected after the 2026 All-Star break, likely targeting February 19. He was recently traded from Atlanta to Golden State after playing just 17 games this season due to various issues.