The Boston Celtics have been one of the most successful teams in the NBA over the past decade. However, the Celtics’ expectations for the 2025-26 campaign are likely lower than championship or bust. The Cs won’t have superstar forward Jayson Tatum and have totally rebuilt their 2025 roster. Here is a look at their offseason and projection for the season.
How The Celtics 2025-26 Roster Was Built & Projection For Upcoming Season
Since 2015, the Boston Celtics have been the NBA’s most consistent team. The Celtics own a league-best .653 regular-season winning percentage and the second-most playoff wins, with 85, during these 10 years. The Celtics have made the Eastern Conference playoffs for 11 straight years, won the 2024 NBA Finals, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals five times, with a 2-3 record in those series. They also won at least one playoff series in eight of the last 10 years and claimed the Atlantic division title five times.
Boston went 61-21 last season, marking its second straight 60-victory campaign and fourth consecutive season of at least 50 wins. But the Celtics were upset in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six games. The Celtics are 182-64 (.720 winning percentage) in the regular season and 33-17 in the playoffs under fourth-year head coach Joel Mazzulla.
Boston knew that the day would come when they would have to rebuild the roster. The Celtics spent freely over the past few years, giving Tatum and Jaylen Brown max contracts. The Celtics also gave Derrick White and Jrue Holiday an extension worth over $100 million. Additionally, they also inked Kristaps Porzingis to a contract extension after acquiring him from Washington.
As a result, Boston traded Porzingis to Atlanta, Holiday to Portland, and Georges Niang to Utah. The Celtics also won’t bring back Al Horford. Tatum will miss the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the Celtics’ loss to the Knicks in the semifinals.
The Celtics did bring in Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher, and Josh Minott. They also selected Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams in this past June’s draft.
Celtics Offseason Grade: C-
The Celtics have 14 players on standard contracts with a salary cap hit of $199.9 million. Therefore, the Celtics are still over $12 million over the luxury tax. Therefore, the Celtics are unlikely to add a 15th player until later in the season. They also have all three of their two-way spots filled.
Boston wasn’t very deep last year, though they had one of the best top seven or eight player units. The Celtics also weren’t a great shooting team and didn’t get to the free-throw line very often. Rebounding and creating turnovers were also issues for the Cs.
With the loss of Tatum and Porzingis, scoring will be a question mark. Brown will now be the Celtics’ go-to guy. While Brown’s numbers have dipped after averaging a career-best 26 points in 2022-23, his shot attempts have also gone down in the last two seasons. However, the 28-year-old guard is expected to see an increase in usage with Tatum’s and Porzingis’ 30 shots per game available.
Offseason Goals
While the Celtics’ primary goal was to reduce their tax bill this offseason, which they effectively achieved, they also added a solid secondary scorer and ball handler in Simons. Rumors have been circulating that the Celtics are interested in trading Simons, who is on an expiring contract, before the start of the season. If Simons is still on the squad, he may come off the bench, as it is expected that Payton Pritchard will get every chance to start alongside White.
Mazzulla’s biggest immediate issue is determining his frontcourt rotation. Not only will Mazulla have to replace Tatum and Porzingis in the starting lineup, but also his primary bigs off the bench — Horford and Luke Kornet. The Celtics did sign Chris Boucher to help up front after sending away Niang, which was a smart move. Still, there is a lot to figure out.
Garza should be in the mix to earn regular frontcourt minutes. He, along with Boucher and Neemais Queta, is expected to compete for the Celtics’ starting five spot. However, Boucher or Xavier Tillman Sr. could start at power forward.
Gonzalez and Williams are projected to spend the majority of the season with the Celtics’ G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
How The Celtics Acquired Their Players
Jayson Tatum
Tatum is the face of the Celtics and a top 3 player in the game. While Tatum will miss this upcoming season, the 27-year-old is still under contract for another four seasons. The Celtics took the Duke product with the No. 3 pick in 2017. The No. 3 pick in 2017 was originally Philadelphia’s (via Sacramento), but the 76ers decided to trade up to the No. 1 pick, owned by the Celtics, and ultimately selected Markelle Fultz.
Jaylen Brown
If Tatum is the organization’s Superman, Brown is Batman. Brown has been a top 20 player in the league this decade, but he will be counted on even more this year than he has in his career. The Celtics selected the California product with the No. 3 pick in 2016. The Celtics acquired that draft selection from Brooklyn in a 2013 trade that saw Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce head to the Nets. The 28-year-old is under contract through the summer of 2029.
Derrick White
White has revived his career since joining the Celtics from the Spurs at the 2022 trade deadline, which saw Josh Richardson and the Celtics’ 2022 first-round selection head to San Antonio. The 31-year-old is one of the top two-way guards in the league today and is coming off a career season. Like Brown, White will be counted on to carry the team this season. He is under contract through 2029 though that final year is a player option.
Anfernee Simons
Simons is an offensive genius who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. The 26-year-old is a quality high-volume 3-point shooter who has been turned into a quality facilitator and ball handler. However, he is a liability on the defensive end.
Boston acquired Simons in a one-for-one deal with the Blazers for Holiday. Simons will make $27.6 million this year.
Sam Hauser
Sam Hauser is a 3-and-D forward who has been the Celtics’ eighth or ninth man for the better part of three seasons. Hauser is one of the top 3-point shooters in the league. He averages two threes a game while shooting 42% from deep for his career, which ranks fifth among active players.
Hauser went undrafted out of Virginia in 2021. The Celtics signed him to a two-way contract in August 2021. The 27-year-old is under contract through the summer of 2029.
Payton Pritchard
Pritchard has been the Celtics’ most valuable reserve over the past two seasons, and he was rewarded for his work this past season, earning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Pritchard, who has started 17 games in his first five seasons, will see increased responsibility, which potentially sees him start alongside White in the Cs backcourt.
Boston took the Oregon product with the No. 26 selection in 2020. He is signed through the summer of 2028.
Baylor Scheierman
Baylor Schierman was the Celtics’ first-round pick in 2024. The 24-year-old wing is slated for a bigger role after seeing just 12 minutes in 31 appearances last season. He was very good in the G-League and showed signs of growth during the summer despite struggling with shooting the ball. Scheierman is under team control for three more years.
Xavier Tillman Sr.
Tillman hasn’t had that much of a role since coming to Beantown at the 2024 trade deadline from Memphis for Lamar Stevens. But that is likely to change this year. Tillman thrives on the offensive backboard and is an excellent low-post defender. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Luka Garza
Garza is a skilled big man. While the 26-year-old hasn’t had much action in the NBA as Detroit and Minnesota’s third-string center, he is an NBA player and will see an increased role this season. He signed a two-year veteran minimum deal with the Celtics this summer.
Chris Boucher
Boucher is an athletic big man with the ability to play the four or five positions, who thrives on the defensive end and on the glass. The 32-year-old can score, as he is very good around the rim and can stretch the defense, although he is not very consistent. He signed a one-year veteran minimum deal this offseason with the Celtics.
Neemais Queta
Queta saw his most extensive action last year, appearing in 60 games while averaging five points and 3.8 rebounds. Queta could ultimately start at center this season. The 26-year-old Portugal national, a fantastic rebounder and shot-blocker, signed a two-way deal with the Celtics after getting waived by Sacramento in 2023. He signed a two-year, veterans’ minimum contract with the Cs this summer, though 2026-27 is a team option.
Jordan Walsh
Jordan Walsh is an athletic, defensive-oriented forward who is not a factor on the offensive end. Walsh appeared in 58 games and saw eight minutes a game. He played well in all four summer league games this year, scoring in double-figures four times and averaging 15 points while shooting 46.3/38.9/65.2.
Walsh was selected with the No. 38 pick in 2024 by Sacramento. The Kings sent Walsh and a 2024 second-round pick (Anton Watson) to the Celtics six days later for Colby Jones.
Josh Minott
Minott has been an end-of-bench player in each of his three seasons with Minnesota. The athletic forward has appeared in 93 contests, though he averages just five minutes in those contests. He signed a two-year, veteran minimum deal with Sacramento with the Celtics this summer, though the 2026-27 campaign is a team option.
Hugo Gonzalez
Gonzalez likely will spend most, if not all, of the season with the Red Claws. Gonzalez has a lot of work to do on the offensive end, though he did show his versatility and immense skills during the summer league. The 19-year-old scored in double-figures in three of his four appearances and averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, though he was very inefficient. He averaged 1.8 treys a game with shooting splits of 30.2/30.4/58.8. He also needs to improve his ball-handling.
Boston used the No. 28 pick on Gonzalez. Gonzalez is under team control through 2029.
Two-Way Players
RJ Luis
Luis went undrafted in 2025 out of St. John’s after two seasons with the Red Storm. He also spent one year at UMass.
Luis, known as a scorer, signed a two-way deal with Utah prior to summer league action. However, the 6-7 wing was unavailable for the summer league due to injury. He was sent to the Celtics in the Niang trade. While the 27-year-old will likely spend most of the season in Maine, he could get a few cups of coffee with the Cs.
Max Shulga
Max Shulga was the No. 57 pick in the 2025 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic out of VCU. Shulga spent two seasons at VCU after three years at Utah State. Shulga was traded on the second day of the draft to Boston along with Amari Williams and two second-round trade swaps (2026 and 2027) for Noah Penda.
The athletic 6-5 guard, known for his defense and reliable 3-point shooting in college, Shulga showcased his playmaking and defensive abilities during the summer league. He averaged five points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals with shooting splits of 24.1/21.4/72.7.
Shulga could see time with the Celtics if he plays well for Maine this season.
Amari Williams
Williams was the No. 46 pick in June’s draft by the Magic. Williams played four seasons at Drexel before his final campaign at Kentucky. He was traded to the Celtics along with Shulga.
Williams is a strong rebounder and defender. Offensively, the 6-11 power forward is very good around the rim and a good passer. He compiled 6.2 points and five boards in 18 minutes during summer league action.
Given the Celtics’ frontcourt situation and Williams’ versatility, he is the most likely minor leaguer to see time with the Cs.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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