The Boston Celtics are working it again. Actually, 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 a minimum of subsequent yr. And so far as I can inform, that’s the primary time in a minimum of 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 price questioning if that’s really a good suggestion. It’s additionally extra price questioning in the event that they actually had a alternative, and probably the most price questioning if it even issues proper now. I’m like 91.2 p.c positive it’s a good suggestion, however let’s play out all the assorted 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 a minimum of the subsequent 4 years, which is totally insane whenever you say it out loud. Kristaps Porzingis is underneath contract for the subsequent two, and Al Horford shall be an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer time, 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 retaining their top-ten.
Picture by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Photographs
Let’s begin with the enjoyable stuff. That’s superior, that is superior, I really like this, you’re keen on this, everybody loves this. These contracts are far more enjoyable than final summer time, 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 liked it. However none of it tasted as candy because it ought to have coming off a crushing Jap Convention Finals defeat.
However after profitable 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 ideally suited IHOP order. All the pieces is inherently superior, backed up by the limitless sunshine and lollipops of profitable 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 “Nineteen Sixties Los Angeles Lakers Fan” at one finish and “50-12 months Celtics Season Ticket Holder” on the opposite — you’ll in all probability see the flurry of extensions dramatically in another way.
On the constructive finish, the Celtics simply received the NBA Finals and are going to be the favorites to win it once more on the very least via November. When wholesome, they’re the most effective staff, and whereas the Jap Convention has improved, it’s not precisely prime LeBron James arriving in Miami to subjugate the convention like some form 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 undoubtedly exist. Paul George is now on the Philadelphia 76ers, which doesn’t assure them something however does make them lots higher. Mikal Bridges is now on the New York Knicks, apparently trying 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 aim of groups that assume they’ve an opportunity.
The novel Celtics positivist would argue that none of these groups even have an opportunity, which I’d argue might be a little bit 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 totally cracked and isn’t going wherever.
The Nineteen Sixties Lakers followers amongst us will in all probability focus much less on the standard of the roster and extra on the completely bananas monetary scenario that is going to place the Celtics in. In 2025-26, one all these extensions kick in, the Celtics shall be working by-far the 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, for the reason that sensible implications of this newfangled gadget — invented final offseason to forestall 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 be capable to make minute roster adjustments; restricted to the veteran minimal, first spherical and second spherical exceptions. Their first spherical decide can even be moved to the tip of the primary spherical.
There was a lot 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, supposed to principally save the homeowners from themselves by offering such a colossal disincentive to overrun the luxurious tax that no one would do it. Not to mention twice in a row.
Properly… it looks like the Celtics are going to do it. No matter settlement Brad Stevens and Wyc Grousbeck have behind the scenes appears to boil right down to “signal everyone no matter penalties after which determine it out later.” By doing so, their roster flexibility is principally zero, which — as long as all the pieces stays sunshine and lollipops for the subsequent few years — shouldn’t matter.
That is the assertion is the 8.8 p.c that scares me. All the pieces appears superior now, however stuff tends to go mistaken within the NBA, irrespective of how nice all the pieces would possibly 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 have been the Celtics going to do? NOT re-sign the traditionally nice staff that simply received the NBA Finals?
Whether or not or not it will wind up backfiring is a moot level, and it’s in all probability 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 scenario they’re moving into. Additionally, if the Celtics should commerce somebody with the intention to get underneath the Second Apron if issues go sideways, then it is going to be factor since… , issues have gone sideways.
Seneca the Youthful mentioned {that a} man who suffers earlier than it’s essential suffers greater than is critical. When issues are going properly, we could as properly simply guess on them persevering with to go properly somewhat than freaking out a couple of yet-realized future. And for now, I select to eat the 5-year-old IHOP breakfast.
