The Celtics Young Marshal: The deal is to avoid reconstruction! The team is ready to continue winning

Brad Stevens knew there would be significant changes in the offseason before Jason Tatum left the court with a laceration of Achilles tendon when he lost to the New York Knicks in the Boston Celtics Eastern Conference semifinals.

Yes, the big spending on free agents and contracts attracted key players like Holiday and Christapus Porzingis, who, along with stars Tatum and Jaylen Brown, ultimately helped Boston win the NBA championship in 2024.

Make a plan to trade for the future Holiday Box Boss

If Tatum may miss the entire season during his recovery period, keeping the core roster unchanged would mean a total of more than $500 million in salary and luxury tax bills. As a team that exceeds the second line of salary cap, this will also bring additional penalties, limiting the way they sign or trade players.

"We knew long ago that the tough decision was coming," Stevens said Tuesday of the decision to trade Holliday and Porzingis, both of which were officially in effect this week. "The second question is why these deals happened. I think it's obvious. The basketball punishments associated with these are real... So, this is part of the reason why we're determined to fight, let go and go all out for the last two years."

Now under that terrible second luxury tax, the Celtics are facing a new reality that is changing the way they treat the next game. As the team’s president of basketball operations, Stevens knew their approach would have to change when Tatum was away. But as a former coach, he also said he would never put a cap on any team’s potential.

"My expectations are always the same - try my best to win the next game," he said.

Stevens refused to admit that the team was rebuilding

Stevens said he did not want to hear any mention of "rebuilding" in the upcoming season. “It won’t be part of our vocabulary, and that’s the point where we move forward,” he said, while the team can take extra steps to get rid of the luxury tax completely, Stevens said it’s not a mandate given to him by incoming team owner Bill Chisholm. "Bill was very clear from the start that he wanted to make sure we prioritize basketball assets and the ability to reorganize basketball at the highest level we can achieve," said Stevens. "The most important acquisition we will be able to do in the next few years is to rescue Tatum from a walking boot. We won't beat that guy. So it will be the best thing we can do." Tatum and Brown had a small knee surgery last month, both recovering at the Celtics facility on Tuesday. According to Stevens, Tatum moved “very fast” in his walking boots, and Brown had already started shooting and was expected to fully enter basketball soon.

Meanwhile, Stevens said he was completely adapted to Brown being the focus of the team on the court. He believes it is a challenge Brown has accepted – something he has proven in his performance after Tatum’s injury. “He’s ready for any challenge, he’s always been, and we’ll keep winning,” Stevens said.