The Boston Celtics roster overhaul that many expected has begun in earnest. And it likely will continue.
The first dominoes fell earlier this week, when the Celtics parted with veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis Porzingis in two reported trades that freed up roughly $27 million in cap space for next season and helped them dip under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax.
As of Friday, however, Boston sits just $4.5 million below the second apron and can’t go over that threshold for the remainder of the offseason and regular season. So, if the Celtics want to retain pending unrestricted free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet — or make any notable roster moves, really — they need to trim even more salary.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Boston is expected to “remain active in the trade market” going forward, as MassLive’s Brian Robb reported Friday.
So, when might these trades happen, and who might be involved? Let’s explore a timeline for possible deals, followed by three hypothetical scenarios for how the Celtics can “regain flexibility,” a phrase president of basketball operations Brad Stevens mentioned several times in his press conference following the 2025 NBA Draft.
Timeline for potential trades
NBA free agency unofficially begins Monday, June 30, when teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs. If the Celtics have a strong desire to keep Horford and/or Kornet and believe there will be significant interest from other teams, they may be motivated to complete deals on or before next Monday to free up the cap space necessary to re-sign their veteran big men.
Another factor to note: The Holiday and Porzingis trades won’t become official until July 6, when the new league year officially begins. So, if the C’s want to move either Anfernee Simons (acquired in the Holiday trade) or Georges Niang (acquired in the Porzingis trade) before July 6, they could simply expand the existing framework of those deals to bring in additional teams.
Scenario 1: Trade Simons and/or Niang
As mentioned above, Boston can gain further cap savings if it finds a trade partner for either Simons or Niang.
The former is set to make $27.7 million in the final year of his contract and has value as a microwave scorer (20.7 points per game over his last three seasons), while the latter is on an $8.2 million expiring deal and could appeal to a contender looking for a versatile veteran with a strong 3-point shot (40.6 percent last season).
A deal involving Niang could be a straight salary dump, while a Simons trade likely would involve the Celtics taking back salary, since few teams can absorb a $27.7 million cap hit. The C’s need frontcourt depth after dealing Porzingis, so perhaps they’d look to bring back a big man in a Simons deal.
Scenario 2: Trade Sam Hauser
The trade market for Hauser reportedly was “robust” entering the draft, and while no deal materialized, there are plenty of teams that could benefit from a career 42 percent 3-point shooter who’s set to make $10 million in the first year of a four-year, $45 million contract extension.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined for most or all of the 2025-26 season, Hauser could provide plenty of value if he stays in Boston. But if the Celtics believe second-year wing Baylor Scheierman can give them some of that value at a lower cost ($2.6 million cap hit), then it makes sense to explore moving Hauser and saving up to $10 million against the cap.
Scenario 3: Multi-player trade
Now that the Celtics are under the second apron, they can aggregate contracts in trades, meaning they could deal both Hauser and Niang, for example, in a single trade to a team with $18 million in cap space.
Big man Xavier Tillman Sr. is another name to watch in this scenario. While he’s on a favorable deal ($2.5 million expiring contract), he averaged just 7.0 minutes per game last season as the odd man out in Boston’s frontcourt.
If the Celtics don’t plan on expanding Tillman’s role, perhaps they’d include him in a trade involving Simons, Niang or Hauser as an additional asset.
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