Will Celtics’ early-season surge alter Brad Stevens’ trade objectives?

Will Celtics’ early-season surge alter Brad Stevens’ trade objectives? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Ever after Brad Stevens completed a summer roster overhaul designed to get the Boston Celtics off the NBA’s prohibitive second apron, it was fair to wonder if the team might prioritize other cost-cutting measures over the course of the 2025-26 season with hopes of maximizing long-term financial flexibility.

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But as we near December 15 and the unofficial start of NBA trade season — most players who signed this past summer become trade eligible on that date — we can’t help but wonder if the expectation-exceeding Celtics might be classified as buyers rather than sellers before the February deadline.

When the Celtics made the swallow-hard decision to part ways with members of their championship core in Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, it not only dropped the team south of the second apron, it created a pathway to getting out of the luxury tax entirely. And from the moment that Boston acquired Anfernee Simons from the Blazers, some have pondered where he might eventually be redirected.

Moving Simons’ money could get the Celtics below the tax. Alas, to eliminate pesky repeater penalties, the team would need to stay out of the tax for multiple seasons. That has always felt unlikely if the Celtics yearn to truly maximize the primes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Preserving the option was at least worth consideration.

But with the Celtics — winners of five straight and 10 of their last 12 overall while shuffling up to third in the Eastern Conference — surging into December, the question becomes whether it would be more prudent to address depth concerns now, even if it means lingering in the tax and essentially eliminating any near-term pathway to avoiding repeater penalties.

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Tatum’s potential return in the calendar year 2026 and what feels like a very wide open Eastern Conference might only fuel the team’s desire to stay all-in.

The Celtics, despite their recent success, remain undersized. While Neemias Queta has been a revelation —…

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Publish date : 2025-12-10 11:41:00

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