How did Jayson Tatum injury affect Celtics’ offseason? Brad Stevens says ‘hard decisions’ were coming anyway

SPORTIVO
Article arrow_drop_down

Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens explained the trades that sent Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in a straightforward manner on Tuesday.

“The second apron is why those trades happened,” Stevens told reporters.

This, he said, was “obvious.” The second apron, set at $207.8 million for the 2025-26 NBA season, is the threshold at which a team’s payroll becomes extremely punitive under the terms of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. In March, outgoing Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck predicted that, in the next 40 years, no team would stay above the apron for more than two consecutive seasons.

The second apron is just an imaginary line. Crossing it, though, means that you can’t use the midlevel exception, you can’t aggregate salaries in trades, you can’t take back more salary than you send out in trades, you can’t send cash in trades and your draft pick seven years into the future is “frozen” (i.e. ineligible to be traded). If you cross the imaginary line in three out of five seasons, then that “frozen” pick will be moved to the end of the first round regardless of where you finish in the standings.

“The basketball penalties associated with [staying above the second apron] are real,” Stevens said.

In other words, Boston’s decision to cut costs was not a reaction to Jayson Tatum rupturing his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs. Years before that, the front office chose to assemble a roster that would be too expensive to keep together long-term. “We knew what was coming eventually, but we knew we were going to put the pedal to the metal,” Stevens said. This paid off with the 2024 title, but, the whole time that the Celtics were trying to repeat, they were aware of what was coming next.

“The reality is that we knew going into this year, regardless of how it ended, that we were going to have some really hard decisions to make because of the penalties,” Stevens said. He added that “agents and players have known that, too.”

Neither Holiday nor Porziņģis was taken by surprise. A couple of weeks before trading them, Stevens told them they were unlikely to return.

This is not to say, however, that Tatum’s injury had zero impact on Boston’s offseason. “Who knows, where we end up, how it goes, who knows?” Stevens said. “There’s all kinds of factors.” Let’s say that, instead of blowing a lead, losing their franchise player to a devastating injury and going down 3-1 against the Knicks, the Celtics had won Game 4 and gone on to survive the series, get out of the East and win their 19th championship. In that scenario, getting under the second apron would have still been a priority, but, naturally, it would have been more difficult to accept a so-called gap year and watch both Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk in free agency.

“That [injury], without question, brings some clarity,” Stevens said.

Here’s another hypothetical: Imagine that Boston had gone the opposite direction this summer, re-signing Horford and Kornet and only considering trades that would increase their 2026 championship odds, second apron be damned. How much pressure would that have put on Tatum to try to rush back next season?

“I think one of the things about the Tatum injury that is really important to us is that there’s no expectation on timeline to return, but there’s an expectation on fully returning,” Stevens said. “And so that was part of it, too.”

In context, the Celtics have had an excellent offseason. (My colleague Sam Quinn gave the team a B+; I’d give them an A-.) They didn’t just find a way to get under the second apron; they did it while picking up a second-round pick and two players — Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang — who could potentially be flipped for more stuff in between now and February’s trade deadline. They then signed Josh Minott and Luka Garza on minimum contracts, betting that the former Timberwolves can become rotation players in a new environment with more minutes up for grabs.

Boston is already shopping Simons’ $27.7 million expiring contract, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, because it would like to get under the luxury-tax line — they are currently about $20 million over it, per capsheets.com — and reset the “repeater” clock. Stevens, however, said that Bill Chisholm, who is set to become the team’s new majority owner, has “been pretty clear from the get-go that he wants to make sure that we’re prioritizing basketball assets and the ability to retool this thing at the highest level that we can.” Translation: The Celtics could make more cost-cutting moves, perhaps involving Simons, but they don’t want to give up future picks simply to save money.

“There’s benefits to [getting under the tax line],” Stevens said. “But it’s not the priority. The priority is continuing to make sure that we have our future firsts and all these things that are in play for us so that we can then use those to build.”

The moment Tatum went down at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics as we’ve known them for the past few years were done. Next season, Niang might start at the 4 spot, and, instead of Porziņģis, Horford and Kornet manning the middle, they’ll have a center rotation of Neemias Queta, Garza and Xavier Tillman. If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that, with championship expectations out the widow for now, the team has the freedom to take a temporary step back in the name of building something sustainable. To Stevens, who transitioned from coach to lead executive in 2021, the bigger-picture goal remains unchanged: Putting a championship-caliber team around Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

“I think the best way to say it is, since I moved into this role, my entire focus has been making sure we maximize around those guys,” Stevens said. “And so that’s longer than just this upcoming window. That’s been this whole window.”

This news was originally published on this post .

About the author

About the author call_made

SPORTIVO

More posts

trending_flat
Will Sandy Alcantara be traded at the deadline? Why Marlins ace’s struggles could cause teams to shy away

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that there is no script. One of the frustrating things about baseball is … well, there is no script. Consider the case of Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara. He entered the season regarded as the summer's probable top trade candidate, to the extent that Marlins general manager Peter Bendix had to dismiss speculation in March. Alcantara had, only a few days prior, made his first big-league appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery in fall 2023. And yet, a midseason trade to a contender felt like a certainty, a fait accompli.Alcantara may still get traded ahead of the July 31 deadline, but if he does the circumstances will differ greatly from expectations. He'll take the mound today against the Cincinnati Reds sporting a 7.01 ERA (62 ERA+) and a 1.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio in […]

trending_flat
Euro 2025 roundup: Sweden stays solid, a lack of draws and a team of standouts

After a cautious opening round of matches, Euro 2025 burst into life in the second round of group matches, with some big wins, late drama and early exits.The Athletic’s Michael Cox watched every match to bring you the moments you may have missed. Here are some early patterns and a best XI from the last four days.Lack of draws leads to early eliminationsThe most striking aspect of the first 16 matches in this competition is the lack of draws. Only one match has finished level: a 1-1 finish between Portugal and Italy in Group B.There’s no particular reason why this has happened. Granted, there is a large difference in ability between the favourites and some of the outsiders in the competition, but there have been seven victories by a single goal, some of which could easily have been draws. Portugal […]

trending_flat
Com apenas um desfalque, Flamengo se prepara antes de retorno do Brasileirão e maratona do segundo semestre

O Flamengo tem elenco quase completo para enfrentar o São Paulo, neste sábado (12), às 16h30, no Maracanã, pela 13ª rodada do Brasileirão. Após a participação na Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o rubro-negro voltar a atuar pelo campeonato nacional, do qual é líder com 24 pontos. O único desfalque será o do chileno Erick Pulgar, que se recupera de fratura no quinto metatarso do pé direito. Leia mais: Em dia de 'calmaria' no Flamengo, reuniões mantêm Boto no comando do futebolE também: Wesley negocia com a Roma e Flamengo espera oferta de R$ 160 milhões O volante se machucou durante o Mundial e foi operado no Chile na semana passada. A operação foi realizada por um médico da escolha do jogador, com o aval do clube. Pulgar deve ser desfalque entre dois e três meses. Por outro lado, o […]

trending_flat
Duas vendas, joia colombiana acertada e dois possíveis reforços: veja como o Botafogo abre a janela de transferências

Última da temporada, a janela de transferências do futebol brasileiro começa nesta quinta-feira (10). E o Botafogo, como de costume, promete agitar o mercado com contratações e vendas. Tanto é que, antes mesmo do início do período, o alvinegro já concretizou três movimentações. Em relação às saídas, o zagueiro Jair e o centroavante Igor Jesus foram vendidos ao Nottingham Forest-ING por movimentações que totalizam os 32 milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 206 milhões). Por outro lado, o clube, que já tinha se antecipado em algumas movimentações na janela de transferências que antecedeu a Copa do Mundo de Clubes — um exemplo foi a contratação de Arthur Cabral, que é a reposição do camisa 99 e já esteve à disposição durante o torneio —, acertou na última quarta-feira a compra de Jordan Barrera, joia colombiana de 19 anos, por 4 […]

trending_flat
Premiação de semifinalista do Mundial de Clubes pode levar Fluminense a ‘clube do bilhão’

Único semifinalista não-europeu da Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o Fluminense voltará ao Brasil de cabeça erguida e bolso cheio. Além do tamanho do resultado esportivo, o tricolor garantiu uma premiação de cerca de R$ 331 milhões, com a campanha, que o faz subir de prateleira no cenário econômico do futebol nacional. Mercado: Wolverhampton, da Inglaterra, faz consulta por Arias, destaque do Fluminense no Mundial de Clubes Como exercício de comparação, em uma simulação somando as premiações obtidas no torneio pelos clubes brasileiros com as receitas dos últimos balanços divulgados (2024), o Fluminense chegaria à casa do bilhão (R$ 1,015 bilhão) em arrecadação, fazendo o clube subir para a quarta posição, superando o São Paulo e ficando atrás apenas de Palmeiras, Corinthians e Flamengo. Receitas de 2024 dos principais clubes do Brasil — Foto: Editoria de Arte No ano passado, […]

trending_flat
Doncaster and Newbury host live Thursday action

Khafiz and Patricia R headline Thursday's feature contest from Doncaster before attention switches to evening racing from Newbury.3.45 Doncaster - Last-time winners Khafiz and Patricia R clashA classy-looking Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Novice Stakes at Doncaster sees Khafiz and Patricia R lock horns. The Roger Varian-trained Khafiz justified odds-on favouritism when seeing off subsequent Jersey Stakes runner-up Spy Chief at Kempton in May and rates an exciting prospect as he concedes weight under Silvestre De Sousa.Patricia R made a winning racecourse debut when collaring Latynina at Thirsk and given the way she powered home, this Ulysses filly must be feared under Ryan Sexton.Amidst The Chaos and the well-bred Monsieur Bondy are the pick of the rest, with the in-form PJ McDonald taking the ride on the latter. 4.20 Doncaster - Raedwald looks to follow up Lingfield victoryRaedwald will be […]

Related

trending_flat
Will Sandy Alcantara be traded at the deadline? Why Marlins ace’s struggles could cause teams to shy away

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that there is no script. One of the frustrating things about baseball is … well, there is no script. Consider the case of Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara. He entered the season regarded as the summer's probable top trade candidate, to the extent that Marlins general manager Peter Bendix had to dismiss speculation in March. Alcantara had, only a few days prior, made his first big-league appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery in fall 2023. And yet, a midseason trade to a contender felt like a certainty, a fait accompli.Alcantara may still get traded ahead of the July 31 deadline, but if he does the circumstances will differ greatly from expectations. He'll take the mound today against the Cincinnati Reds sporting a 7.01 ERA (62 ERA+) and a 1.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio in […]

trending_flat
Euro 2025 roundup: Sweden stays solid, a lack of draws and a team of standouts

After a cautious opening round of matches, Euro 2025 burst into life in the second round of group matches, with some big wins, late drama and early exits.The Athletic’s Michael Cox watched every match to bring you the moments you may have missed. Here are some early patterns and a best XI from the last four days.Lack of draws leads to early eliminationsThe most striking aspect of the first 16 matches in this competition is the lack of draws. Only one match has finished level: a 1-1 finish between Portugal and Italy in Group B.There’s no particular reason why this has happened. Granted, there is a large difference in ability between the favourites and some of the outsiders in the competition, but there have been seven victories by a single goal, some of which could easily have been draws. Portugal […]

trending_flat
Com apenas um desfalque, Flamengo se prepara antes de retorno do Brasileirão e maratona do segundo semestre

O Flamengo tem elenco quase completo para enfrentar o São Paulo, neste sábado (12), às 16h30, no Maracanã, pela 13ª rodada do Brasileirão. Após a participação na Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o rubro-negro voltar a atuar pelo campeonato nacional, do qual é líder com 24 pontos. O único desfalque será o do chileno Erick Pulgar, que se recupera de fratura no quinto metatarso do pé direito. Leia mais: Em dia de 'calmaria' no Flamengo, reuniões mantêm Boto no comando do futebolE também: Wesley negocia com a Roma e Flamengo espera oferta de R$ 160 milhões O volante se machucou durante o Mundial e foi operado no Chile na semana passada. A operação foi realizada por um médico da escolha do jogador, com o aval do clube. Pulgar deve ser desfalque entre dois e três meses. Por outro lado, o […]

trending_flat
Duas vendas, joia colombiana acertada e dois possíveis reforços: veja como o Botafogo abre a janela de transferências

Última da temporada, a janela de transferências do futebol brasileiro começa nesta quinta-feira (10). E o Botafogo, como de costume, promete agitar o mercado com contratações e vendas. Tanto é que, antes mesmo do início do período, o alvinegro já concretizou três movimentações. Em relação às saídas, o zagueiro Jair e o centroavante Igor Jesus foram vendidos ao Nottingham Forest-ING por movimentações que totalizam os 32 milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 206 milhões). Por outro lado, o clube, que já tinha se antecipado em algumas movimentações na janela de transferências que antecedeu a Copa do Mundo de Clubes — um exemplo foi a contratação de Arthur Cabral, que é a reposição do camisa 99 e já esteve à disposição durante o torneio —, acertou na última quarta-feira a compra de Jordan Barrera, joia colombiana de 19 anos, por 4 […]

trending_flat
Premiação de semifinalista do Mundial de Clubes pode levar Fluminense a ‘clube do bilhão’

Único semifinalista não-europeu da Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o Fluminense voltará ao Brasil de cabeça erguida e bolso cheio. Além do tamanho do resultado esportivo, o tricolor garantiu uma premiação de cerca de R$ 331 milhões, com a campanha, que o faz subir de prateleira no cenário econômico do futebol nacional. Mercado: Wolverhampton, da Inglaterra, faz consulta por Arias, destaque do Fluminense no Mundial de Clubes Como exercício de comparação, em uma simulação somando as premiações obtidas no torneio pelos clubes brasileiros com as receitas dos últimos balanços divulgados (2024), o Fluminense chegaria à casa do bilhão (R$ 1,015 bilhão) em arrecadação, fazendo o clube subir para a quarta posição, superando o São Paulo e ficando atrás apenas de Palmeiras, Corinthians e Flamengo. Receitas de 2024 dos principais clubes do Brasil — Foto: Editoria de Arte No ano passado, […]

trending_flat
Doncaster and Newbury host live Thursday action

Khafiz and Patricia R headline Thursday's feature contest from Doncaster before attention switches to evening racing from Newbury.3.45 Doncaster - Last-time winners Khafiz and Patricia R clashA classy-looking Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Novice Stakes at Doncaster sees Khafiz and Patricia R lock horns. The Roger Varian-trained Khafiz justified odds-on favouritism when seeing off subsequent Jersey Stakes runner-up Spy Chief at Kempton in May and rates an exciting prospect as he concedes weight under Silvestre De Sousa.Patricia R made a winning racecourse debut when collaring Latynina at Thirsk and given the way she powered home, this Ulysses filly must be feared under Ryan Sexton.Amidst The Chaos and the well-bred Monsieur Bondy are the pick of the rest, with the in-form PJ McDonald taking the ride on the latter. 4.20 Doncaster - Raedwald looks to follow up Lingfield victoryRaedwald will be […]

Be the first to leave a comment

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sportivo bridges the gap between talent and opportunity.

About SPORTIVO

Sportivo Network is a dedicated social platform for sports enthusiasts, athletes, and scouts. Whether you’re an aspiring athlete looking for opportunities, a coach searching for talent, or simply a sports lover wanting to connect with like-minded people, Sportivo is your go-to network. With features like direct messaging, profile showcasing, and talent scouting, Sportivo bridges the gap between talent and opportunity. Here, you can share your achievements, interact with professionals, and open doors to the next level in your sports journey. Join Sportivo Network – because every great athlete deserves to be discovered!
Copyright © 2025 SPORTIVO News. and SPORTIVO Network. All rights reserved.

Login to enjoy full advantages

Please login or subscribe to continue.

Go Premium!

Enjoy the full advantage of the premium access.

Stop following

Unfollow Cancel

Cancel subscription

Are you sure you want to cancel your subscription? You will lose your Premium access and stored playlists.

Go back Confirm cancellation