After much negotiation, the Boston Celtics have finally agreed to sign an anticipated $150 million super phenomenal player from…
The Boston Celtics added Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer in exchange for Lamar Stevens, Dalano Banton, and three second round selections during the trade deadline, but their acquisitions did not exactly spark excitement around the NBA. Nobody makes jokes about pyrotechnics anymore, anyway, not when you’ve already added two All Stars in the previous seven months. All the Celtics had to do was make a few personnel adjustments, which they accomplished.
The front office has increased short-, medium-, and long-term optionality in this way.
As any serious title challenger should, the main emphasis is on what these new players can accomplish this season. After Grant Williams (temporarily) left for Dallas, Joe Mazzulla was left without a reliable defensive option and a different kind of center until Tillman arrived. Compared to the players on the bench, Springer is a guard defender and a defensive live wire. In the past, Banton, Stevens, and Oshae Brissett were all better wing guards than fast ball handlers or movement shooters.
This year, Tillman is expected to have some involvement while Springer is likely to have none, and it’s possible that neither will have much of an effect. Though they are not answers in and of themselves, these players offer Mazzulla options when attempting to answer questions, thus the chance that they do is still worth the investment.
It’s important to consider the implications of these decisions for the future. Tillman has all of his Bird Rights with Memphis, but he will be an unrestricted free agent. Springer’s fourth-year option was picked up in October, meaning he will receive a guaranteed $4 million in the upcoming season and will be eligible for an extension this offseason. Players in Springer’s anticipated wage level typically don’t sign rookie contracts. In the event that a deal is not reached, Payton Pritchard may become a restricted free agent for the upcoming season.
The franchise will soon have to face a financial reckoning, which is the larger reality. What part do these moves play in that? With the new CBA’s Second Apron limitations and high repeater tax rates, it is impossible to maintain a roster this deep, skilled, and experienced for very long. It’s hard to predict how this roster will change in the not-too-distant future, but it will, and the front staff now has more options thanks to this deadline.
Of the three, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum seem like the most dependable long-term Celtics. Jaylen Brown is positioned after them due to the size of his contract and the difficulties posed by two players each earning three-quarters of the salary cap. Behind him would be Jrue Holiday, who the Celtics acquired with the understanding that he would be eligible for an extension upon his eligibility, which would decrease his player option pay for 2024–2025 but add more years. Due to Derrick White’s rise to almost All-Star status, the estimated cost of his next deal has increased, making it less likely that the organization will be able to pay for Holiday in the future while also keeping White.
Holiday’s extension was assumed, which meant the Celtics would have to reduce payroll in 2025–2026 to avoid the harsh repeater tax rate and become a tax team once more the following season.
The likelihood that Holiday and the other four high-paid starters return next season makes it almost certain that the Celtics will once again be a second-tier team. If so, there might be some benefit to earning a modest but above-minimum salary like Springer. The Celtics, being an apron team, would not be permitted to combine their outgoing salary in trades for players next season, but they may still get Springer by acquiring players who pay less than $4 million and are not on minimal exception contracts. Some of them exist, but not many, and the better ones are not exchanged. Springer might be traded for nothing and leave you back where you were before you acquired him if that doesn’t happen and he doesn’t earn a rotation spot worth the tax burden. No offense, no hurt.
But has the prospect of seeing Holiday enter free agency this offseason increased?
The cap and tax calculation would abruptly alter if the team decided to go that route, or if Holiday chooses to leave as a free agent or opts in at $39 million and is dealt because it is considered unaffordable. The Celtics could conceivably reset their repeater tax counter and go from being a second-tier team to one that is completely below the tax, but that would need a second below-tax year following Tatum’s presumed deal.
When it comes to needing to replace an experienced All-Star in your closing five and reduce compensation, there is no ideal answer. Springer might be a part of a bigger plan to replace Holiday’s minutes and role with internal development as a defensive specialized guard. In the event that the Celtics were to find themselves in this predicament, their best option would probably be to combine salaries in an exiting deal and utilize Springer as part of a package to acquire a player more likely to fill Holiday’s present role than Alex Caruso or Caleb Martin—someone who would keep the team under the tax.
It is simpler to see how Tillman could replace some of the contributions that Al Horford makes. Similar to Springer and Holiday, Tillman’s skill level is far lower than Horford’s. Al Horford will always be remembered for his $10 million salary. Part of Tillman’s position would be replaced, though, by that of an undersized but ox-strong defensive specialist center. Unless you hit draft or development gold, you’re not going to get that and 40% 3PT shooting in a single non-Horford alternative at a cheap price.
Horford’s time as a Celtic is not certain. It’s not difficult to picture Al declaring his retirement and the Celtics winning the championship this year. His role has to continue to shrink as he gets older, even if he fulfills his contract until 2025. If he does not play out his contract, he will more closely resemble Vince Carter as an experienced tutor than Horford does now.
The Celtics will only have minimal contracts and Bird Rights to sign free agents if they are a second-tier team. That being said, Tillman is certainly useful. They would probably be too near to the tax or apron to use enough of the MLE, even if they manage to get up in the parallel timeline and open it, to acquire anyone better than Tillman. Compared to Springer, he is a more valuable addition to the squad this season, and like Springer, he has future potential.
In the long run, a fresh group of depth players on the roster can be seen emerging. In their mid-20s are Pritchard, Tillman (UFA), Brissett (player option), Sam Hauser (team option/RFA), and Neemias Queta (possible 2-way conversion). These youthful, seasoned role players can be crucial in assembling a successful 15-man team that centers around a few extremely pricey stars. Springer is one of the younger, raw developing projects that fit into the more expensive and harder to fill athletic wing spots, along with Jordan Walsh and possibly the 30th pick in the next draft. You’re happy if one does.
The organization is building options, even though none of these seven players (along with a draft pick) will still be with them in a year or two. They have backups at every position who are nearing prime age, along with a few wildcards in the pipeline behind them. They are all not going to breach the team’s cap sheet.
Banton and Stevens were out of the team’s future plans and would not assist the squad in the playoffs. Tillman can be helpful in both areas, and Springer may play a role in the future in trade or on the court. The Celtics have more options than they did just a few days ago when it comes to answering tough questions, whether they are related to roster construction or in-game decisions.
