Category: .News

The Boston Celtics roster is worth the incredible price tag

Despite being one of the more expensive rosters in the NBA, the Boston Celtics are right to lock their core down for the future.

As a second-apron luxury tax team, the Boston Celtics roster projects to be one of the more expensive in the NBA. President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, has spent the off-season locking down multiple players to long-term deals. As such, the cost of the roster is only going to continue rising.

During a recent article for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley shared his thoughts on why it makes sense for the Celtics to continue pushing forward with their current championship-winning rotation, regardless of how expensive it may get to keep the core together long-term.

“Boston clearly has a great thing going and recognized as much. That’s why the Celtics bought back into this core wherever they could,” Buckley wrote. “…This roster will cost a fortune to manage—which is perhaps a big reason why the majority stake in this franchise is up for sale—but when the potential return on investment is additional championship rings, it’s hard to fret too much about the finances.”

The Grousbeck family recently put the franchise on the market.

Any potential new ownership group will be inheriting a costly team, but one that can sustain a dynasty in the coming years. It will be interesting to see whether the cost of Boston’s roster is a sticking point in the bidding period.

For now, though, the Celtics are set to continue working towards a second-straight championship, with the knowledge that the current roster is set to stick around for the foreseeable future.

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Will the Boston Celtics regress next season?

Will the Boston Celtics sustain another 60+ win regular season as they look to defend their title?

After winning 64 games last season, the Boston Celtics face a tough task when trying to build on their regular-season success. They will enter the season without Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to miss the opening months as he recovers from surgery. The Celtics will also face the pressure of trying to retain their NBA championship.

In a recent article by Bleacher Report, the staff writers share their reasoning as to why the Celtics should take a slight step back in the coming season despite still being favored to win the 2025 NBA Championship once the roster is back to full health.

“Consider the Boston Celtics a casualty of their own success,” The staff writers wrote. “Its continuity alone is enough to declare its championship stock in better shape compared to last year. But it’s unfair, even irrational, to expect a generationally good regular-season team to level up its dominance while missing a critical rotation piece. Especially when they have no business caring about anything other than preserving itself for a (totally plausible, if not likely) championship repeat.”

Joe Mazzulla’s team has built their identity on the defensive end. Yes, they shoot a lot of perimeter jumpers, but when the chips are down, it’s their rearguard that emerges as their strongest point. As such, Boston should be aiming for another 60+ win season.

Nevertheless, health will be a major factor in their pursuit of a second straight first-seed finish in the Eastern Conference. Teams around them have improved during the summer.

Still, none of that will matter if the City of Boston is organizing another pride in just under a year’s time.

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Brad Stevens speaks on Celtics being put up for sale

The Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations has discussed the franchise being put up for sale by the Grousbeck family.

The Grousbeck family has put their majority share in the Boston Celtics up for sale. The news came shortly after Boston won its franchise’s 18th championship. Wyc Grousbeck is expected to remain in charge of the team during a transitional period, with 2028 tentatively set as his exit date.

During a recent news conference with reporters at Las Vegas Summer League, Stevens discussed Boston’s pending sale. The Celtics President of Basketball Operations revealed that he learned of the news shortly before it was made public; however, he stressed that it doesn’t change much in the short term.

“Well, I mean, I learned not long before everybody else did that was going to happen,” Stevens told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “I obviously am very thankful for Wyc and his family and everything that they’ve done. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens from here. I don’t want to get too far into the weeds of it all but how does it affect us? It doesn’t really right now. From the standpoint of the corporate side or basketball operations we’re just head down, doing what we think is best for the now of the Celtics and the future of the Celtics. We’re lucky we (have) a good team.”

The Celtics have spent the offseason’s opening weeks securing their core rotation’s long-term futures. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum have both signed contract extensions. Jrue Holiday signed a new deal during the season. Sam Hauser is expected to sign once he becomes extension-eligible.

Stevens has overseen a rapid retooling of Boston’s roster, positioning them as the best team in the league. Regardless of what happens with the team’s sale, Boston is positioned to be a juggernaut in the coming years.

Subscribe to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

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Celtics Lab 274: Evaluating Sam Hauser’s extension, Team USA’s struggles with Will Weir

Join us as we scrutinize the last flickering flames still burning from Boston’s banner season.

The Boston Celtics have finished their run in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, leaving the remaining trickle of news and the trio of Celtics playing for Team USA as the last flickering flames still burning from Boston’s banner season. But given we are on the threshold of the dog days of summer, we’ll take what we can get when it comes to Celtics basketball. 

And not all of that trickle of news is minor — Boston extended key reserve forward Sam Hauser on a team-friendly deal, for starters. This week on the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, we link up with “Green With Envy” cohost Will Weir to talk about the Hauser extension, Team USA’s recent struggles and what might be behind them.

We even get into a little Celtics trivia for good measure, so dust off your old programs (or hit up basketball reference dot com, depending on your age) to study up and play along.


The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Prize Picks and Gametime.


If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Sin City Celtics fall to Summer Sixers 103-98 in Las Vegas Summer League consolation game

It might have come n a loss, but Jordan Walsh had his breakout game.

The Boston Celtics did not make the postseason of the NBA’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League with their play in Sin City, but they did manage to earn themselves a consolation tilt with the Summer Philadelphia 76ers.

Not that it would matter much, with the Sin City Celtics falling to the Summer Sixers 103-98, this despite the best game from second-year Boston wing Jordan Walsh (18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Guard Jaelen House (17 points, 4 boards, 6 assists) also had a good night off the bench. Forward Tyler Cook (16 points, 4 rebounds), forward Anton Watson (15 points, 4 boards, 3 assists), and wing Baylor Scheierman (13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) also had good games.

With the loss, the Celtics have completed their full slate of games in Las Vegas Summer League action with a 2-3 overall record.

And while such outcomes are less important than in other context, Boston got a good luck at several prospects it likely would want to bring into the team’s talent development pipeline.

How that shakes out over the next few days will signal what the Celtics’ front office values for their future rotation hopes.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Childhood friend, adult opponent of Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo on their Olympic partnership

“Another Olympic gold medal beside my man, it’d be a dope feeling,” said Adebayo.

When they face each other on the court as opponents, you would be hard-pressed to guess that star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and lifelong friend Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat were so close off the court. But now the duo are teammates for the US National Team as they gear up to compete for the gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It is not the first time they have teamed up in such a capacity, which Adebayo spoke to a bit in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “We’ve won one gold medal already, and we’ve known each other since we were 12,” said the star Heat big man.

“So having that opportunity to see each other grow in this league, but also through life and have another chance to get another Olympic gold medal beside my man, it’d be a dope feeling,” he added.

On the other side of the duo, Tatum is just relieved he won’t have to play against a pair of the better head coaches in the league.

“I played against (Miami Head coach Erik Spoelstra) so many times, so it’s good to be on the same team,” said the St. Louis native. “(Golden State Warriors head coach) Steve Kerr, too.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Breaking down legendary Boston Celtics small forward John Havlicek’s defense

Get to know Hondo’s game a little more.

Many contemporary fans of the Boston Celtics know little about the game of franchise legend John Havlicek, whose career ended before many fans of today were even born.

But Hondo — as Havlicek was often called — excelled at both ends of the court in every way and thrived off stealing the lunch of his opponents in particular. While he was a 13-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA performer, Havlicek also managed to get elected to eight All-Defensive teams over the course of his long career for being a terror on the hardwood.

So, if you weren’t paying attention to such things when he was a player or you just want to get to know this Celtics legend better, watch the video embedded below put together by YouTuber 70sFan.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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The player Tyrese Haliburton wants to see most at the Olympics? Boston Celtics vet Jrue Holiday

Because of how elite he is defensively,” said the star Pacers guard.

It might surprise you to hear that veteran Boston Celtics combo guard Jrue Holiday is the player another member of Team USA is most looking forward to seeing take the floor in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But for Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, it’s true.

The Pacers floor general recently said as much in an interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach about the guard that literally spooked him into a critical turnover that ultimately sealed Indiana’s fate in the NBA’s 2024 Eastern Conference finals. “I think he’s just the best defensive player, the best defensive guard, for sure, in the NBA,” said Haliburton.

“I’ll never be able to be like him physically, but mentally picking his brain, seeing how he does what he does at such a high level,” he added.

“That’s really the main thing, because of how elite he is defensively,” said the star Pacers guard.

“And I feel like we have a great relationship. So now that I’m around him more on a more personal basis, I think that’ll be really cool.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Boston Celtics drop final game of Las Vegas Summer League to Dallas Mavericks

Thankfully, this was not the NBA finals.

The Boston Celtics had perhaps their best game of team play in the NBA’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League to date. But having a total of six players scoring in double figures was not enough to put the Sin City Celtics past the Summer Dallas Mavericks on this past Friday (July 19) night, falling 101-90.

The Celtics were led by guard Jaelen House with 18 points, 2 rebounds, and an impressive 9 assists. Boston also saw good games from rookie wing Baylor Scheierman (15 points, 5 boards, 3-of-6 from 3), forward Anton Watson (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2-of-4 from 3), wing Jordan Walsh (12 points, 11 boards, 4 assists), and forward Killian Tillie (12 points).

Forward Ron Harper Jr. also had a solid outing for the Celtics coming off the bench with 11 points.

With the loss, the Celtics’ summer league record falls to 2-2, likely ending their run in the state of Nevada until next summer/

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Ron Harper Jr.’s former coach details his NBA-ready skillset for Boston

Ron Harper Jr. is currently playing in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Celtics. His former head coach believes he can stick in the NBA

Ron Harper Jr has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics. He is currently with the franchise at Las Vegas Summer League, where he’s made three appearances, averaging 5.3 points per game while shooting 37.5% from the field. Harper Jr. has made a strong impression while coming off the bench for D.J. MacLeay’s roster.

During a recent interview with Bobby Deren of 247 Sports, Harper Jr’s former head coach at Rutgers, Steve Pikiell, shared his thoughts on how his former player can impact an NBA roster and what makes him a good developmental prospect in the league.

“Ron can really score and he is what the NBA looks for now—guys that can shoot the ball. And he can guard a lot of people,” Pikiell said. “He’s strong and I thought that was awesome. I know he had a really good workout too for them. So I am happy and hopefully, he gets more opportunities. He’s good. He belongs in the league. He scores points, I don’t care where he plays.”

Harper Jr. will likely be in the Celtics’ rotation as they face off against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Boston currently boasts a 2-1 Summer League record and will be looking to add another win against their NBA Finals opponent.

Regardless of how he performs in Friday’s game, Harper Jr. will get a chance to continue fighting for a roster spot in Boston when he attends their training camp. However, given the depth of talent at Joe Mazzulla’s disposal, he does face an uphill battle to stick with the best team in the NBA.

Subscribe to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3UAVYRg

Spotify:  https://spoti.fi/3y0H4Lh

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS

Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

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