Get ready for a long summer of NBA trade rumors circling around the Boston Celtics and their very talented but very expensive roster. It seems pretty clear that change is coming in Boston. The question remains, which players are most likely to be on the move (and who will the team prioritize keeping around)?
Marc Stein reports
The Celtics’ precise determination to keep their various veterans is difficult to calculate so soon after the defending champions’ Round 2 exit to the Knicks in six games and the devastating loss of Jayson Tatum to an Achilles rupture, but the early projections in circulation suggest Boston is more apt to make Jrue Holiday available via trade this offseason than Derrick White. Most rival teams continue to regard Kristaps Porziņģis as the most movable Boston vet thanks to the Latvian big man’s $30.7 million expiring contract.
I fully endorse the theory behind keeping Derrick White around. That’s not to diminish the contributions of Jrue Holiday in any way. In a perfect world I’d love to see him stick around and retire in Boston green and white. However, he’s better suited to contribute to a contending team at this point and the Celtics probably don’t fit that description next season. By the time the 2026-27 season rolls around, Jrue will be 36 years old.
Porzingis was always more of a luxury and “cheat code” when he was healthy enough to contribute. The reason he was available at all was because of his history of missing time, and that continued in Boston as well. Still, some contender is likely to want to roll the dice with his expiring contract and high upside next season.
Stay tuned on CelticsBlog for more throughout the offseason.
