One way or another, the Boston Celtics are going to be forced to move one of the core pieces of their roster this summer to avoid a luxury tax bill that would rewrite the record book in a way Brad Stevens and the new ownership group in place would prefer to avoid.
Given the restraints placed on the front office from the league's collective bargaining agreement, Boston will not be allowed to aggregate player salaries to get a trade done. Barring any complicated multi-team deals, Stevens and company will only have so much leverage in any negotiations.
Spending upwards of $500 million on a roster that is unlikely to contend for a title following Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear during the NBA playoffs is a scenario that makes very little sense for the franchise. This could very well be something that forces the Celtics to entertain offers they'd otherwise have little interest in.
Celtics Make Controversial Deal to Land Wizards G Jordan Poole in Latest Mock Trade
Washington Wizards
Boston CelticsAt first glance, Celtics fans are likely to call this a crazy suggestion, but there are reasons why Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole could be an interesting fit in Boston while helping lessen some of the franchise's financial constraints.
In addition to saving the Celtics some money this season, Poole has one fewer year remaining on his current contract than Holiday. The long-term savings would help Boston's front office navigate the franchise's immediate future while still helping to lessen its tax bill for this year.
While Poole's time with the Wizards has been nothing to write home about, it is important to remember that this is the same player who came off the bench to help the Golden State Warriors earlier in his career. The Celtics wouldn't be acquiring your run-of-the-mill scorer on a bad team. Poole has helped teams win at the highest level of the game before and is capable of doing it again.
Finally, the 25-year-old might be available, as a recent report from Rafael Barlowe of NBABigBoard.com, Washington could look to move Poole ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft or shortly thereafter.
The Washington Wizards could reportedly trade Jordan Poole, per @Barlowe500
“Also worth noting — around the league, there’s growing belief that Jordan Poole could be moved, either on draft night or later this summer. That potential shake-up adds another layer to Washington’s… pic.twitter.com/QGcAfoKz3t— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 11, 2025
For as much slack as Poole and the Wizards receive, the former first-round pick enjoyed one of the best individual seasons of his professional career during the 2024-25 campaign. Beyond setting a new career-high in points per game (20.5), Poole also set career best marks in assists (4.5), steals (1.3), and games started (68).
Poole certainly wouldn't be the type of acquisition that would force fans to stop what they're doing and contemplate what the addition means for the franchise's future. He could offer Boston a solid option to bridge the gap between now and Tatum's return, though, without having to break the bank financially or via trade.
Perhaps that could end up being enough for Stevens to consider such a move if Poole is as available as Barlowe reports.
