Celtics trade options: Which players will Boston ship out to retool its 2025-26 roster?

Continuity was the theme of last year s Celtics offseason This summer likely will be defined by necessary change A breakup of Boston s championship-winning core appears inevitable as the Celtics stare down a - roster that s projected to cost roughly million between salaries and luxury tax penalties To dip beneath the NBA s second apron and avoid the raft of roster-building restrictions that come with that status including the inability to use the mid-level exception aggregate salaries in trades or contract first-round picks in the next seven drafts among others the Celtics would need to shed million in salary They could take further procedures to drop below the first apron which would take an additional in shed salary or out of the luxury tax entirely another million But expect president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to make at least escaping the second apron an offseason priority especially since Boston now will be subject to even harsher repeater tax penalties and will be without superstar Jayson Tatum for greater part or all of next season We have a bunch of really good players and they re obviously under contract and we want to first look at everything that we have here and again try to be the best version of ourselves here noted Stevens who was mum on the Celtics offseason plan during his end-of-season news conference Which players could be on the move Here s a closer look at the candidates all ages as of the start of the - season Top bargain options Kristaps Porzingis Age Contract status signed through - - salary million When Porzingis is at his best he s a game-changing presence for the Celtics providing both top-tier rim protection and the ability to drain -footers with ease Unfortunately for Boston peak Porzingis was often unavailable The -foot- center has missed regular-season games since arriving in Boston and his two Celtics postseasons both were marred by ailments first the lower leg injury that sidelined him for bulk of last year s championship run then the post-viral syndrome that severely limited him in the second-round loss to the New York Knicks Given their tax situation it would make sense for the Celtics to attempt to offload all or part of Porzingis hefty salary this offseason His spotty durability will hurt his value but it helps that he s on an expiring contract meaning a unit could acquire him without a long-term commitment According to a review from NBA insider Marc Stein bulk rival teams consider Porzingis the preponderance movable Boston vet Porzingis could boost his value if he plays well for his native Latvia at EuroBasket but that tournament doesn t tip off until late August Jrue Holiday Age Contract status signed through - member option for - - salary million Even at his advanced age Holiday still can be a valuable contestant on a contending gang But his scoring rebounding and assist numbers all dipped this season and his shooting percentages plummeted especially from beyond the arc He made just of his -pointers way down from his career-best mark in - Holiday also missed games plus another three in the playoffs As an aging player who s shown signs of decline the Celtics could have a hard time finding a taker for Holiday and the million remaining on his contract including the participant option for his age- season A championship hopeful looking for one more proven veteran would be a logical suitor but the majority of those aren t flush with cap space Boston might need to attach draft-pick compensation to get a Holiday deal done Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday chats with the media as the Celtics hold a press conference after being knocked out of the playoffs by the Knicks Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill Boston Herald Holiday for what it s worth explained he wants to stay with the Celtics and that he still believes they can win a title even after Tatum s ruptured Achilles Sam Hauser Age Contract status signed through - - salary million Hauser s salary more than quadruples next season as his four-year extension kicks in and that s not counting the wave of accompanying luxury tax penalties A million salary isn t an exorbitant amount to pay for a key reserve who s shot better than from three in each of his four NBA seasons but his easily movable contract makes him a prime bargain candidate as the Celtics look to cut costs Boston also has an internal replacement for Hauser in first-round draft pick Baylor Scheierman who established probable late in his rookie season Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser celebrates a basket during the second half of an NBA contest against the San Antonio Spurs on March in San Antonio AP Photo Darren Abate Impending free agents Al Horford Age Contract status unrestricted free agent After consistently saying he planned to return for a th NBA season this fall Horford changed his tune after the season saying he needed to take time before deciding on his next move Whether he s mulling retirement or considering playing elsewhere was not clear from his comments Horford also declined to say whether Tatum s injury which lowers the Celtics - ceiling considerably was contributing to his uncertainty There are promising financial complications at play here as Horford who remained effective in his role as the Celtics de facto sixth starter likely would need to accept less than the million he earned this season to stay in Boston Multiple teammates called him an irreplaceable figure in Boston s locker room with Payton Pritchard saying We definitely need him back Luke Kornet Age Contract status unrestricted free agent Kornet reportedly turned down other offers last offseason to re-sign with the Celtics for the veteran minimum Convincing him to do so again would be a major win for Boston But is that realistic Kornet should have a much stronger sphere this summer after delivering the best season of his career headlined by a tremendous seven-block performance in Battle against the Knicks The Celtics do own Kornet s Bird rights which allow them to increase his salary without salary cap restrictions This could be the journeyman center s best opportunity to cash in however after playing preponderance of his career on two-way or minimum contracts Kornet sidestepped a question about his plan for free agency after Boston s playoff exit saying he d figure out stuff when it comes to it Reserve wing Torrey Craig and two-way players Drew Peterson and Miles Norris also are impending free agents JD Davison has a gang option for - and Jordan Walsh s contract is not fully guaranteed The high-value assets Derrick White Age Contract status signed through - participant option for - - salary million Between his production his two-way versatility and his manageable contract White might be the Celtics preponderance valuable business chip But those same factors also make him a athlete worth building around even though he s getting up there in age White set the single-season franchise record for made threes this year while also leading all NBA guards in blocked shots Derrick White of the Boston Celtics left and Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks chase down a loose ball during the first half of Contest of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden Photo By Matt Stone Boston Herald Payton Pritchard Age Contract status signed through - - salary million There undoubtedly will be teams interested in Pritchard after his superb Sixth Man of the Year campaign during which he led all bench players in points and plus minus while establishing himself as one of the NBA s most of prolific -point shooters The Celtics though will have little incentive to move him The contract extension he signed in is one of the league s biggest bargains and Boston badly necessities young cheap productive players to complement its high-priced stars Jaylen Brown Age Contract status signed through - - salary million The the majority fascinating storyline of this Celtics offseason centers around Brown Will Boston move forward with the NBA Finals MVP as their new temporary centerpiece relying on Brown to steer the ship until Tatum returns and reunites the company s -plus million duo Or will it prioritize maximum financial relief by trading Brown for a haul accepting a step back in competitiveness next season and targeting a return to contention with a healthy Tatum in -