NBA Insider Reveals $2 Million Reason Celtics Won't Make Splashy Trade Despite 'Hopeful Whimpers' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Don't expect the Boston Celtics to make another big move this offseason. There have been some "hopeful whimpers out of Boston" about another move to improve the roster following the Jaylen Brown trade, according to NBA insider Sean Deveney, but it's apparently not going to happen. The reason? The Celtics are roughly $2 million below the luxury tax threshold and appear intent on keeping it that way. “The tax has been the focus for them for two years now, and they’re not coming off of that,” an executive told Deveney. MORE: Warriors Share Stephen Curry News That Celtics Fans Will Love To be exact, the Celtics are $1.7 million under the luxury tax threshold, per Spotrac. If they remain below the tax for the entire 2026-27 season, they will reset their repeater-tax clock, which would save ownership a lot of money. It's in part why some see this season as another potential gap year for the Celtics. As The Athletic's Zach Harper recently explained, the Celtics are set up to have a ton of flexibility by the summer of 2028, when Paul George's contract could come off the books, assuming he picks up his $56.6 million player option for the 2027-28 season. "Tatum will be 30 that summer, and GM Brad Stevens likely won’t be scared of the aprons by then," Harper wrote. "Boston should have at least one good run in the Tatum prime era. Maybe that starts with some moves before the 2027 trade deadline?" The Celtics should still be contenders in the meantime, but it might be a couple of years until they go all-in again. More Celtics
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