The Boston Celtics had a disappointing exit from the playoffs earlier this month at the hands of the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. To make matters worse, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum tore his achilles towards the end of Game 4 and will be out for the foreseeable future.
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This has perhaps contributed to ESPN insider Shams Charania recently reporting via the Pat McAfee Show that the Celtics are likely going to be busy this offseason.
“The Boston Celtics are going to make trades," said Charania. "They're definitely going to have a different roster next season.
“The Boston Celtics are going to make trades… They're definitely going to have a different roster next season.”
— @ShamsCharania
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/wu8MUjWdXN— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 27, 2025
Boston won 61 games in the regular season and finished in the No. 2 spot in the East.
Naturally, there shouldn't be much to change with such a juggernaut in the league, but the NBA is constantly changing, and teams that don't evolve with it can quickly become an afterthought. There will also be significant time in the 2025-26 season spent without a franchise cornerstone in Tatum.
Soon-to-be 39-year-old Al Horford had another productive season, but is an unrestricted free agent, along with Luke Kornet, who averaged six points and a career-high 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game.
It isn't just retaining free agents and waiting on Tatum's recovery as Charania specifically linked Boston to making deals.
The concern around the team appears to be offloading larger, less favorable contracts to hopefully exchange for more pieces to build around and contribute to an already well-oiled machine.
Regardless of past success with the nucleus of the current roster, things need to change to get over the hump and back to the promised land.
That doesn't necessarily mean a complete rebuild and renovation of the roster, but when one of the best insiders in the sport links a team to being active in the offseason, it usually means that the phones will be ringing. Looking to immediate success as well as making sure the Celtics are still well-positions for the future will be the goal of this summer.
