The offshor of the Celtics was going to be full of difficult questions even before Boston lost his All-Star because of an apparent serious leg injury in New York on Monday evening. This offseason arrives on the horizon much faster than most planned after Jayson Tatum’s injury with the team now in an elimination match.
With the Boston title window apparently closed for the present, the questions are now starting to loom for the future. Tatum’s prognosis for injuries is still uncertain at this stage, but a long absence would not be a surprise given its condition and the team’s reaction to the injury.
In this scenario, let’s look at the options that the Celtics would have at their disposal, as well as the difficult choices they should make this summer and beyond.
Exception of the disabled player
There is no easy way to relieving the salary ceiling in the NBA for the teams with an injured player. If a player is seriously injured, his team can request the exception of the disability player to replace him. A doctor designed by the NBA should determine that the player is “significantly more than not” to go out until June 15 next season to be granted. The Celtics successfully applied a DPE when Gordon Hayward injured the end of the season in 2018.
The Celtics would obviously not make this path unless they were certain tatums had to miss at least 12 months with a serious injury. There is no replacement of a superstar like Tatum for the Celtics, and even being granted a DPE would not do much for Boston. Tatum has won $ 54.1 million next season, but the maximum team can be awarded for a DPE is the exception of intermediate level ($ 14.1 million) for next season. A team can use it on a single player via the free agency (one year maximum transaction) or as a commercial exception. However, given that Boston’s salary commitment for next season is already in record tax territory, it is very unlikely that Boston uses this DPE without reducing the payroll elsewhere. Not really a precious consolation price for a team that could be reset without their star.
Options out of season
Beyond the DPE, there are essentially no real ways here so that Boston improves the list without cutting a lot of their salary in the first place. Boston should currently have around 231 million dollars in wages engaged with 11 players next season, including Tatum. This represents around $ 24 million compared to the second apron and nearly $ 40 million on the luxury tax line.
Jayson Tatum: $ 54.1 million
Jaylen Brown: $ 53.1 million
Jrue Holiday: $ 32.4 million
Kristaps Porzingis: $ 30.7 million
Derrick White: $ 28.1 million
Sam Hauser: $ 10 million
Payton Pritchard: $ 7.2 million
Baylor Scheierman: $ 2.6 million
Xavier Tillman: $ 2.5 million
Neemias Queta: $ 2.3 million
Jordan Walsh: $ 2.2 million (not guaranteed)
Recovery pick in the first round: $ 2.5 million
Boston would only have its own draft choices and would only be able to offer the minimum of veterans to free agents as the second apron. Boston could make professions but would not be able to group (combine wages) to withdraw them or take back more money than they do in an agreement.
Without a clear path to improve in the middle of these restrictions and a pending record tax bill, the Celtics go back to a larger degree than expected could become a convincing path for the front office. Going below the second apron ($ 207 million) would be obvious. Going entirely under the luxury fiscal line ($ 187 million) would also have a sense of financial prospect and team consolidation.
Boston will have to stay away from the luxury tax for two consecutive years to obtain the rehearsal tax to reset. However, the reduction in the tax bill entirely for a year creates much more flexibility for the team with trade and free agency options in the future. Tax cost savings could also be taken into account next season.
The way the team chooses to reduce this type of pay will not be easy if it takes this path. The Celtics will have to conclude several offers to reduce this kind of money unless they find teams ready to undertake important offers in the ceiling space (very unlikely without Boston having the pot).
It will be Brad Stevens’ duty to explore the best way to reduce salary while building for the future with these types of movements in the event of a hard time that the absence of tatum lasts most of the next season. This means that considering the possibilities for a guy as Jaylen Brown must be at stake with the price is just at the end of Boston. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser all become candidates for logical trade as well.
A real reset was going to have come at one point this decade after Boston pushed everything in summer there are two summers with a vacation and porzingis creating a huge payroll. This choice remains a huge success after the title 2024. However, the injury of Tatum can finally close the door of the window of this nucleus to face, composed much earlier than expected.
