NBA Trade Rumors: Insider hints at major Celtics roster shake up after early playoff exit

The Boston Celtics saw their NBA championship defense this year crumble as they lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in just six games. It was a massive upset for one of the top favorites to win the title this year, raising questions about the team’s future.

According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Celtics could be closing the chapter of their current roster composition, which is led by Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles in the playoffs, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. In his report, Siegel said the team is preparating for an offseason of change:

“(Brad) Stevens understands this is the name of the game. He carefully weighed the risk and reward with owner Wyc Grousbeck to maximize this organization's championship potential, and he delivered with their recent title.

“Now comes the hard part of the job entering the summer, as keeping Brown, Tatum, Holiday, White, and Porzingis together no longer seems like a viable option."

Siegel also hinted that other teams around the league are closely monitoring general manager Brad Stevens’ decisions for the offseason as they look to compensate for the potential loss of some of their key players:

“Where the Celtics go from here is the major question, as teams around the league are beginning to carefully monitor Stevens' next steps leading up to the draft."

The Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship with the roster, following crucial moves in the past offseasons that landed them Holiday, White and Porzingis, to add to their core of Tatum and Brown.

After this year, the Celtics are also expected to brace for the loss of Tatum for the foreseeable future following his injury.

Aside from injury management, the team is also expected to maneuver in the cap aprons, which could have repercussions on its future, depending on its offseason moves.

Celtics GM Brad Stevens addresses Tatum’s injury ahead of uncertain offseason

Brad Stevens is expected to have a lot of work in the offseason as he looks to navigate all possible moves before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.

With the injury to Tatum and other questions surrounding the team, Stevens reaffirmed that they want to remain in the championship mix:

“I know there will be a lot of questions about what’s next, but I’ll talk, probably, more about that at the draft, when we have a better idea. … At the end of the day, I think that will all be driven by the same thing that’s always driven us, and that is, ‘How do we get ourselves in the mix to compete for championships best?’”

The Celtics finished this year with the second seed in the East, winning 61 games. Their ability to remain on top of their conference next year remains questionable at best right now.