The Boston Celtics are working it again. In actual fact, they might simply be working it again tougher than any staff within the final 20 years.
With the singing of Sam Hauser to a four-year, $45 million contract extension on Sunday, the Celtics have now assured that their whole championship top-nine shall be returning for no less than subsequent yr. And so far as I can inform, that’s the primary time in no less than the final twenty years that has occurred. I couldn’t even discover a championship top-eight staying intact, not to mention a top-nine.
That’s just about unprecedented, and it’s value questioning if that’s really a good suggestion. It’s additionally extra value questioning in the event that they actually had a selection, and essentially the most value questioning if it even issues proper now. I’m like 91.2 % certain it’s a good suggestion, however let’s play out all the varied conditions the Celtics have now gotten themselves into and see if we will determine it out. Break.
Simply so we’re all on the identical web page: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Vacation, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are all signed for no less than the following 4 years, which is completely insane if you say it out loud. Kristaps Porzingis is beneath contract for the following two, and Al Horford shall be an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer season, as will Luke Kornet.
That’s the Celtics’ whole related rotation. They’re prone to lose Oshae Brissett to free company, a marginal contributor final yr, however retained Xavier Tillman who principally subsumed Brissett’s position within the playoffs. He was notably efficient in spots within the NBA Finals, that means that — for all intents and functions — the Celtics are principally conserving their top-ten.
Photograph by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Pictures
Let’s begin with the enjoyable stuff. That’s superior, that is superior, I like this, you like this, everybody loves this. These contracts are far more enjoyable than final summer season, which was the unlucky media feeding-frenzy across the Jaylen Brown extension, on the time the richest contract in NBA historical past. It’s not that Celtics followers didn’t just like the contract; most of us beloved it. However none of it tasted as candy because it ought to have coming off a crushing Jap Convention Finals defeat.
However after successful the NBA Finals, this offseason has been dipped in a lot Nutella, powdered sugar, and topped with so many strawberries and cream that we’re principally making a 5-year-old’s supreme IHOP order. All the things is inherently superior, backed up by the limitless sunshine and lollipops of successful the NBA Finals. Kornet one-year deal? Epic. Tillman coming again? Spectacular. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum extensions on the identical day?! Somebody arrange one other Duck Boat parade.
Relying on the place you stand on the Official Celtics Love/Hate Spectrum — with “Sixties Los Angeles Lakers Fan” at one finish and “50-12 months Celtics Season Ticket Holder” on the opposite — you’ll most likely see the flurry of extensions dramatically in a different way.
On the constructive finish, the Celtics simply gained the NBA Finals and are going to be the favorites to win it once more on the very least by way of November. When wholesome, they’re the perfect staff, and whereas the Jap Convention has improved, it’s not precisely prime LeBron James arriving in Miami to subjugate the convention like some type of morally-depraved sixteenth Century Conquistador, like he did in 2010.
Let’s take inventory: the Milwaukee Bucks are principally the identical, however Giannis Antetokounmpo does nonetheless positively exist. Paul George is now on the Philadelphia 76ers, which doesn’t assure them something however does make them so much higher. Mikal Bridges is now on the New York Knicks, apparently seeking to show that reconstructing a school championship staff within the NBA is the league’s best-kept secret. Once more, nothing is assured, however they’re additionally higher, which is the purpose of groups that assume they’ve an opportunity.
The unconventional Celtics positivist would argue that none of these groups even have an opportunity, which I might argue might be just a little an excessive amount of powdered sugar. Energy invitations problem, and the remainder of the Jap Convention wasn’t nearly to fold within the face of a Celtics roster that, on paper, is completely cracked and isn’t going wherever.
The Sixties Lakers followers amongst us will most likely focus much less on the standard of the roster and extra on the completely bananas monetary state of affairs that is going to place the Celtics in. In 2025-26, as soon as all these extensions kick in, the Celtics shall be working by-far the very best payroll in NBA historical past, and virtually definitely shall be going over the NBA’s most-recently-established wage cap boogyman for 2 straight years: “The Second Apron.”
I don’t need to dwell on funds an excessive amount of, because the sensible implications of this newfangled system — invented final offseason to stop overpowered superteams from present — haven’t but had time to play out, however right here’s the upshot. As a result of the Celtics shall be exceeding a super-high quantity within the luxurious tax twice, they’ll solely have the ability to make minute roster modifications; restricted to the veteran minimal, first spherical and second spherical exceptions. Their first spherical choose may also be moved to the tip of the primary spherical.
There was a number of hypothesis about how groups view this “Second Apron,” most of it saying it’s principally the NBA’s fancy model of a tough cap, meant to principally save the house owners from themselves by offering such a colossal disincentive to overrun the posh tax that no one would do it. Not to mention twice in a row.
Properly… it looks as if the Celtics are going to do it. No matter settlement Brad Stevens and Wyc Grousbeck have behind the scenes appears to boil all the way down to “signal all people no matter penalties after which determine it out later.” By doing so, their roster flexibility is principally zero, which — as long as every part stays sunshine and lollipops for the following few years — shouldn’t matter.
This assertion is the 8.8 % that scares me. All the things appears superior now, however stuff tends to go incorrect within the NBA, regardless of how nice every part may look on paper. Groups have gone all-in, constructed superteams, and flamed out so spectacularly that individuals are left questioning if the Brooklyn Nets ought to simply transfer again to New Jersey.
I’ve quoted former Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga many instances as saying to Brad Stevens, “If we’re not making an attempt to enhance, we’ll cease being good,” as I actually imagine that remaining aggressive is the important thing to not getting handed by. However I take solace within the inevitability of all of it, as a result of what had been the Celtics going to do? NOT re-sign the traditionally nice staff that simply gained the NBA Finals?
Whether or not or not this may wind up backfiring is a moot level, and it’s most likely much less probably than different financially-hamstrung groups. The Celtics haven’t achieved this quote-unquote superteam by buying and selling draft picks. Their hardships are monetary, not materials, and whomever Grousbeck finally ends up promoting the staff to will know the state of affairs they’re stepping into. Additionally, if the Celtics should commerce somebody to be able to get beneath the Second Apron if issues go sideways, then it will likely be an excellent factor since… you understand, issues have gone sideways.
Seneca the Youthful stated {that a} man who suffers earlier than it’s needed suffers greater than is important. When issues are going properly, we could as properly simply wager on them persevering with to go properly somewhat than freaking out a few yet-realized future. And for now, I select to eat the 5-year-old IHOP breakfast.
