The Boston Celtics have blown consecutive games in their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series to the New York Knicks, and that has people already sounding the alarm bells.
Boston trails the Knicks 2-0 in their series, which now heads to Madison Square Garden for the next two games. With the Celtics down 2-0, the possibility of the team losing has increased, and that could lead to big changes.
ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst appeared on “First Take” Thursday and talked about the future of the Celtics and what changes may come to the team.
“This is a conversation I did not think I would be having on May 8. I thought this would be a conversation for July. But, next year, their payroll is $460 million when you compute the taxes. If they keep their draft pick … it’s going to top $500 million. They’ve got new owners. They’re buying it for $6 billion. They need to take on all these partners just to put half the money together. I don’t know what’s going to happen there, but there’s a possibility this team’s not going to come back. No matter what, they might not be able to come back. Because they’re the most expensive sports team in the history of the game. That’s what’s on the line,” Windhorst said.
“This team has proven it’s a championship team. This team has proven it’s a 60-win team this year. This team might win the championship again this year. But if they don’t get out of this series, I don’t know how you can justify spending $500 on the roster again.”
"There's a possibility this team's not gonna come back. … That's what's on the line."
@WindhorstESPN says the Celtics may look different next year if they don’t win their series against the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/DQKRaWlYfF
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 8, 2025
The Celtics are estimated to have $264 million allocated for their roster for next season. Their estimated tax bill is $238 million, according to Spotrac. Yes, the Celtics are staring at a $500 million bill if they want to keep their team together next season. They would probably consider it if they returned to the NBA Finals — or won the championship again. It’s harder to justify spending that amount if you lose in the second round of the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are set to cost over $107 million next season alone. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis combine for $63 million, and Derrick White makes $28 million. It’s hard to imagine Al Horford returning for $18 million. Payton Pritchard is a $7 million player, which could prove too costly. But the decisions the team’s front office makes about next season probably will be different if they lose in the conference semifinals compared to if they return to the NBA Finals.
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