It’s obvious what the Celtics future should look like

May 15

As it stands, the Celtics need to shed $31 million to get under the first apron next year. Easy fix: trade Porziņģis or Holiday. Done.

People need to calm down with the salary shedding panic.

Porziņģis has basically been a decorative tall guy. A couple decent games over two seasons. That’s it. Not remotely central to winning.

Holiday? His role shrunk this year and he sure wasn’t a difference-maker while losing 3 outta 4 to the Knicks. You can find grit and glue for way less than $32 million a year.

Ditch Porziņģis and Holiday, you free up nearly $60 million. That’s more than enough to fill two roster spots—one of which, frankly, is an automatic upgrade just by not being Porziņģis.

This is a real chance for the Celtics to retool while Tatum rehabs and possibly come back better than the version we just watched underachieve.

2025-2026 Payroll Snapshot:

Celtics Payroll: $227,784,873
NBA Salary Cap: $154.6M
Luxury Tax Threshold: $187.9M
First Apron: $195.9M
Second Apron: $207.8M

First Apron Restrictions:

No aggregating salaries in trades
No sign-and-trades
No full mid-level exception
No high-salary buyout signings
Can’t use trade exceptions from prior years

Second Apron Restrictions (on top of First Apron):

No cash in trades
Lose ability to trade first-round pick 7 years out if over at season’s end

Repeater Tax Rates (per $1M over):

Up to $5M: $2.50
$5M–$10M: $3.25
Keeps climbing… maxes at $10.50 per $1M over

So yeah, Celtics are currently $45M over the tax line, which brings the bill to a cool $280 million. Yikes.

The Plan:

Trade Porziņģis, Holiday, Hauser:

Porziņģis: $30.7M expiring
Holiday: $32.4M
Hauser: $10M
Total: $73M off the books

Leaves you at $154.8M payroll.

Option 1: Be Cheap

Dump a few more contracts, play the kids, tank for lottery talent. Cool cool—if you’re fine blowing up the team and banking on “player development” while Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery.

Option 2: Be Smart

Shed salary, stay under the first apron, and keep the tax bill low for a team that ain't winning a title next year anyway.

Option 3: Be Aggressive

Re-tool, spend $70M, stay under the second apron. Use Tatum’s injury year to build the infrastructure. Be ready to go as soon as he can walk again.

Role Swaps:

Pritchard takes over for Holiday
Scheierman replaces Hauser
JD Davison slides into Pritchard’s slot
Horford and Kornet hold the front court depth

Add frontcourt starters and wing depth via trade or FA. Brown and White run the show until Tatum returns.

But let’s be real: If this new ownership group decides to cheap out and spin it as a “rebuild,” just say goodbye to Jayson Tatum. You think he’s sticking around to watch his team get gutted the second he misses a chunk of time? Then return to a roster full of rookies and washed vets? Nope.

That’s how you lose a generational star. That's how you watch the back half of his prime rot away. Achilles rehab ain't pretty. And if he comes back to a team that doesn't look serious? He’s gone the first chance he gets.

Don't screw this up, Wyc 2.0.

Rich McPhee