Boston Celtics set for major offseason trades
The reigning champions are hoping to repeat in the playoffs but the Celtics could soon have a wage bill in excess of $500 million.
The Boston Celtics will be the overwhelming favourites to progress past the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semi-final. The Celtics cruised past the Orlando Magic in round 1 and have the experience in their ranks to challenge for a championship again.
With the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porvzingis and Jrue Holiday on the roster, Boston may well have the strongest team in the entire league. That strength in depth makes them many experts’ favorites to win another title, but it could give them problems going forward.
ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania appeared on The Pat McAfee Show recently to outline what the offseason holds for Boston. A warning, Celtics fans, it’s not pretty...
“The league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics’ roster this offseason. Source shave told me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason,” Charania revealed.
"The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to the Celtics roster this offseason..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 1, 2025
Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/raA9TDjNiP
“They have five players right now scheduled to make $28 million or more next season, that’s a league record. They would have a salary bill of $500 million, that would be a league-record amount.”
The league’s salary cap is set to rise again in 2025/26 but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Celtics will gain much extra room for manoeuvre on contracts. The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) introduced new roster-building restrictions with tougher penalties for teams that stray beyond the luxury tax thresholds.
The Celtics could risk suffering a freeze on trades or even losing draft picks if they are unable to bring their wage bill down. It could be a tougher summer for the Boston Celtics front office, but they have a good chance of entering it as repeat champions.
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