In what has been a whirlwind start to the 2025 NBA offseason, the Boston Celtics have been at the forefront of NBA news so far this summer. These moves have highlighted the need for the team to remain under the second apron regarding their salary cap. This topic was discussed extensively during the season by executives within the Celtics front office. Let’s examine the moves made by Boston so far and see if they are a sign of the team entering a rebuilding phase or simply reloading heading into next season.
The Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis Trades
The two biggest trades made this offseason so far have been neither of the trades being considered splashy ones that resulted in any big names coming to the Celtics. While getting quality players like Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang certainly is nothing to sneeze at, they also don’t move the needle back to contender status for the Celtics.
Although the moves were inherently made to dump Holiday’s and Porzingis’ respective salaries, the return packages indicate the Celtics will more than likely punt on the next season. They will be without the services of their franchise player, Jayson Tatum, until the 2026-27 season due to an Achilles injury.
Celtics Free Agent Signings
While the trades of Holiday and Porzingis grabbed the headlines, the team also made some sneaky signings that will certainly give the team a boost for next season. They signed both Luka Garza and Josh Minott to cheap two-year deals, which will certainly help recoup the depth the Celtics would’ve lost with the departures of Holiday and Porzingis.
Although both players have less-than-stellar NBA careers up to this point, both Garza and Minott bring skills that match perfectly with the system that Head Coach Joe Mazzulla runs. Expect both of these signings to take a leap forward and provide a big impact for this Celtics squad next season.
Final Thoughts
So far in my examination of the Celtics’ offseason moves, it seems clear that next season will serve as a mini-rebuild of sorts for the franchise. Although the team will remain a relatively competitive team with All-Star players like Jaylen Brown still on the roster and fully healthy, their championship chances are fairly low. As the offseason continues to march on, expect the Celtics to keep making small and cheap moves to preserve their salary cap and prepare for long-term championship contention beyond next season.
