In-depth analysis: Celtics offseason trading information after Tatum was injured, and other team information

Where will the Celtics go in the 2025-26 season without Jason Tatum? The offseason is coming, with the latest NBA trading rumors and intelligence.

Speaking of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics always want to be one of the last teams to advance to the playoffs. Before entering the 2024-25 season, the team broke into six of the last eight Eastern Conference Finals, and they ranked second with a record of 61 wins this season and entered the playoffs as the defending champion.

Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown entered the playoffs as defending champions this year, and they understand that the challenges of entering the NBA Finals will be different. The Celtics became "prey" rather than "hunter" for the first time in a long time, so the opponents hit them even harder. As a result, Boston finally staggered into the playoffs due to injuries.

In addition to Christapus Porzingis still fighting a mysterious disease that severely limits his performance and playing time at the end of the season, Brown also had a knee injury when entering the playoffs, which Boston did not disclose much information. Jason Tatum suffered a wrist injury and Ju Holiday suffered a hamstring injury in the first round against the Orlando Magic.

While the Celtics won the series in five games, their physical fitness and fitness are also beginning to be affected. The New York Knicks, a team formed last summer, have their only goal to compete with Boston with the athletic and height advantages of the forward player, which won the first two games of the series at TD Garden Arena, thus engaging in a fierce battle with the injury-ridden Celtics.

Although the Celtics won Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, they suffered far more than one loss in Game 4. Tatum scored 42 points in the playoffs and scored his best career performance, but suffered a non-contact injury to his right leg and was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. Boston lost to the New York Knicks in six games after losing his team leader and star striker.

When Brad Stevens decided to go all out for the championship, bringing Derek White, Holiday and Porzingis to partner with his two All-Star wingers, he understood that the team's financial situation would not be stable for a long time.

After renewing a five-year, $285 million contract with Brown last year and then a five-year, $314 million contract with Tatum, the 2024-25 season appears to be Boston's last chance to win the championship before making a key roster adjustment.

Now, Tatum is on the verge of an indefinite quit, and there have been recent reports that Brown has been playing in an injury with a meniscus torn injury, and the Celtics seem ready to face the consequences of the league's labor agreement and apron rules.

Unless the Oklahoma City Thunder responds to this, the dynasty era will no longer exist. No longer can other teams add Holliday and Porzingis to the already very high salary total like the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant in 2016, or to the Celtics before the 2024 championship.

Stevens understands that this is what the game is about. He carefully weighed the risks and rewards with team owner Vick Grosbeck to maximize the team’s championship potential, and he eventually achieved that with his recent title win. Now, entering the summer, the challenges facing the team are coming, as keeping Brown, Tatum, Holliday, White and Porzingis on the team no longer seems to be a viable option.

The Celtics are not only preparing to retreat in the case of Tatum's Achilles tendon injury, but Grosbeck also agreed to sell the team to a consortium led by Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion. The Celtics’ future direction is a key issue as other teams in the league are starting to pay close attention to Stevens’ next move ahead of the draft.

Who will stay and who will leave Boston? The future of the Celtics remains bright. Regardless of what decision Stevens and management make to adjust the lineup, Tatum is still 27 and Brown is 28. These two players are the cornerstone of Boston's current and future success.

Although NBA fans like to fan the flames by proposing their own trading plans and ideas, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints that neither Tatum nor Brown will leave Boston in the summer.

As for the upcoming decision, Stevens is focused on continuing to find ways to reshape the Celtics’ championship path. Just because Tatum was injured and likely to miss the 2026 All-Star Game doesn't mean that Boston will intentionally retreat.

"We have been talking about this for years. The CBA has been well known for years, so there will be a corresponding punishment to reaching a certain level, and we all know that," Stevens admitted at a season-end press conference in Boston earlier this week. “You just have to weigh it, weigh it, weigh it, weigh it all the other factors, and make a decision.

“You have to have a full season, a full playoff, and a few nights of good sleep, and then everyone gets together and brainstorm and make plans for the next step.” ”

So far, during Stevens' tenure, the Celtics have never had to adjust their roster due to salary restrictions. The team's philosophy has always been to bring in more good players and use the winning factor in exchange for better players. This is why players like Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Aaron Nesmith and Robert Williams III have been valued in recent years.

All these separate moves paid off in the end, with Stevens and the Celtics winning the championship. If the two-time MVP wants to leave, he will choose to go to a team that has the chance to win the game at the highest level. He is unlikely to join Boston's rivals for years, but the Celtics do have the ability to create more than $54 million in buffer space and assume that Giannis' contract will join their total salary. The only problem with this crazy situation is that the Celtics are still a second-tier team and they are more likely to trade under this threshold rather than bringing in another player. More than $50 million a year.

Boston will help take control of the trading market expected to be full of unexpected twists. Prior to the 2025 NBA Draft, draft picks will flow between teams, and the Celtics may trade some players that may directly affect the championship prospects of both leagues.

For the Celtics, a disappointing season quickly turned into a mystery-filled offseason. Although their championship hopes remain, the team's window to win and hopes for dynasty have been hit. How Stevens will rebuild the roster next will have a huge impact on the 2025 NBA offseason.

Other news and intelligence from the NBA:

Brooklyn Nets: As we all know, the Brooklyn Nets will be busy fighting for the top 36 picks before and during the 2025 NBA draft. Competitors hope General Manager Sean Max can use the 19th, 26th and 27th picks in the first round of this year's draft to win a second lottery. During the NBA draft joint trial in Chicago last week, there were also rumors that the Brooklyn Nets were developing some potential plans to improve from the eighth pick.

Which team will choose first and be interested in trading with the Nets? The Philadelphia 76ers have not yet expressed their willingness to trade a third pick, and the same is true for the Charlotte Hornets, which has the fourth pick. In addition, there are the second-ranked San Antonio Spurs and the fifth-ranked Utah Jazz, which always have their own set of tricks in the draft. It is not easy for the Spurs to maintain the second pick in this year's draft. Dylan Harper is widely regarded as the second best player in the same class, and the San Antonio Spurs already have De Aron Fox and Stephen Castle in the backcourt, so putting Harper on the roster is not necessarily an ideal choice. Because of this, many teams are closely watching the Nets' possible picks in exchange for Harper as the team's signature point guard.

Less than five weeks away from the 2025 NBA Draft, it is expected that Max and the Nets will be very active in exploring ways to improve their draft picks.

Miami Heat: According to sources, the Miami Heat is expected to be a buyer in the offseason and seek to immediately improve Bam Adebayo and Taylor Herro. Pat Riley has been proactive in the summer trading market and will participate in any negotiations about All-Star players entering the trading market. Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier and Andrew Wiggins are unlikely to start the 2025-26 season with the Miami Heat at the same time. Demar DeRozan is once again seen by other teams as a potential target for Riley and the Heat.

Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks are not new. Giannis recently attended Google’s annual event in San Francisco, rather than traveling with the team to the Golden State Warriors as many Warriors fans expect on social media. As of this post, Giannis has not told the Bucks that he wants to stay with the Bucks or seek other opportunities this summer.

New Orleans Pelicans: According to sources, competitors once again listed Herb Jones as the New Orleans Pelicans' offseason signing target. David Griffin was a big fan of Jones' offense and defense potential, but now he no longer takes over the New Orleans Pelicans because Joe Dumas takes over the roster and he needs to make a decision, first of all, which player should be around Zion Williamson. Jones is currently recovering from a tear of the right shoulder labrum, but under Dumas, his future with the Pelicans is full of uncertainty.

Phoenix Suns: As we have reported at ClutchPoints since April, it is not a foregone conclusion that Kevin Durant was traded in the offseason. The former MVP has not yet made clear informed Suns owner Matt Ishbiya or executive James Jones that he hopes to be traded, and sources say who Phoenix ultimately hires as the next head coach will have an impact on his future development on the team. As the Suns enter the late stages of coaching, keep an eye on the performances of Johnny Bryant, James Borrego and Chris Quinn.

Sacramento Kings: Sources say Ju Holiday is an interested veteran of the Sacramento Kings. Whether the Boston Celtics will include Holiday in the trade negotiations is still unknown. New General Manager Scott Perry made it clear that his team needed a real point guard and that he had been a Holiday fan during his time with the New York Knicks. Sources said Perry hopes to explore the possibility of introducing Holiday in New York before it is traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020. Sacramento enters the offseason and needs to make a decision on Demar DeRozan's future.