The Celtics have been one of the surprise stories of the 2025/26 season, boasting the 10th-best record in the league through their first 26 games, despite the loss of superstar Jayson Tatum in last year’s playoffs, as well as a majority of their big man rotation in free agency and trades.
That success has given team president Brad Stevens more flexibility when it comes to deciding whether to push chips in or accumulate more assets at the trade deadline, Jay King writes for The Athletic.
“We will not put a ceiling on this group,” Stevens said. “If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals, and it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we’re in a position to compete for what we want to compete for (a championship).”
King notes that Boston is currently around $12.1MM over the luxury tax line, so a move to shed salary could help the team’s financial situation. However, the team is currently 15-8 over their last 23 games, fueled in large part by Jaylen Brown, who is sixth in the league in scoring at 29.3 points per game, and may find themselves too good to compete for a high draft pick.
“I think everybody, or a lot of teams, are really still very much in, ‘Let’s see how everything looks as time goes on,’” Stevens said. “Everybody’s a work in progress. What’s the difference between third and ninth in the East right now? There’s hardly anything, right? And I think that we’re all still trying to figure out who we are and what we can be.”
Stevens declined to specify what areas he could target via trade, but King speculates that a move to shore up the frontcourt would make the most sense. Anfernee Simons, on an expiring $27.7MM contract, stands out as a trade candidate should the team seek to improve its roster.
One detail that will likely play a determining role in how the Celtics proceed this season is Tatum’s status as he looks to return from an Achilles tear that has kept him off the court since May.
Tatum has reportedly looked better than expected during his rehabilitation, but there are still no concrete expectations.
“We’re not putting a timeline on it as we haven’t the whole time,” Stevens said. “One of the things that everybody can see (is) that we didn’t apply for a [Disabled Player Exception] this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons. But the reality is he’s not going to be back until he’s 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it.“