With the Boston Celtics’ payroll about $19.9 million over the second apron threshold, new owner Bill Chisholm will be stuck paying an estimated $238 million in competitive balance tax — known informally as “luxury tax” — which is about $15 million more than the Celtics projected payroll.
The only way to avoid that potentially crippling penalty is to shed payroll — and that means trading star players. And two-time NBA champion guard Jrue Holiday has long been believed to be perhaps the likeliest Celtic to be moved in a deal.
Even if Chisholm were willing to pay taxes to the league at a rate more than 100 percent, remaining over the second apron limit also comes with extremely severe basketball penalties that prevent teams from making trades, signing free agents and even in some circumstances making the draft picks they would otherwise be entitled to.
The bottom line is that remaining over the second apron can essentially bring a franchise to its knees. And that, obviously, is not what the Celtics’ new owner would be looking for.
Celtics Look For Holiday Trade Partner
Trading Holiday, who signed a four-year, $134.4 million contract with the Celtics shortly after he was acquired in a trade prior to the 2024-2025 season — the season that ended with Boston’s record 18th NBA championship — has been discussed widely for months, with multiple teams mentioned as potential trade partners.
But on Sunday, NBA analyst Conor Roche of Boston.com proposed a deal that may end up pairing Holiday with future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, currently the eighth-highest scorer in NBA history with 41,237 points in his 16-year career.
According to a report published on Saturday, Durant — who will play on an expiring contract next season and is expected to be traded this offseason as a result — has narrowed down his preferred destinations to just three, one of them being the San Antonio Spurs.
With center Victor Wembanyama and All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, the five-time NBA champion franchise appears primed for a quick rebuild taking it back into title contention. The addition of Durant could do just that — and bringing in the 34-year-old Holiday would add the defensive piece that the Spurs would still require.
Trade Gives Spurs Chance to be Super Team
“The Spurs could help consolidate some of their guard and wing depth by either trading Devin Vassell straight up for Holiday or trading a combo of Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, or Malaki Branham for Holiday,” wrote Roche in his Sunday analysis.
A straight up trade for Vassell, who signed a five-year, $146 million contract extension in 2023, would bring the Celtics about $3 million closer to getting under the second apron.
But even swapping in Holiday for Vassell would give the Spurs well over $50 million in space before reaching the second apron limit, more than enough to absorb Duran’s $54.7 million salary in the final year of his contract. The deal, however, would turn San Antonio into an NBA powerhouse “super team” overnight — assuming that the Spurs can also make a deal for Durant.
The Phoenix Suns, Durant’s current team, are also over the second apron, largely thanks to Durant’s contract, meaning they almost certainly will need to move him and receive far less than he is worth in return.
