Celtics could save $50 million in tax penalties by trading valuable wing

The Boston Celtics have a ton of important roster decisions to make this summer.

President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens spoke with reporters on Monday and revealed that he will be speaking with Celtics ownership this month to discuss next steps for the franchise.

Stevens didn’t reveal details, but one can assume that the franchise’s stakeholders will sit in a room and figure out whether or not they should pay — or get under — the luxury tax this coming season.

With the tax line projected to be somewhere around $208 million, Boston would once again be above the second apron if they were to keep all of their current players under contract in the fray.

Here’s what the Celtics’ salary sheet is looking like for 2025-26:

Jayson Tatum: $54.1M
Jaylen Brown: $53.1M
Jrue Holiday: $32.4M
Kristaps Porzingis: $30.7M
Derrick White: $28.1M
Sam Hauser: $10M
Payton Pritchard: $7.2M

Combined: $215.6M

Looking at the above, it’s no surprise that Holiday and Porzingis are rumored to be on the move. Stevens could get the Celtics under the second apron by moving one or both of those players and taking less salary back.

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Notably, Stevens could also get under the second apron by offloading Hauser in a deal for draft capital, taking no salary back in exchange.

FOX Sports’ Nick Wright discussed the above plan on Monday on First Things First, noting that Boston could save around $50 million in luxury tax penalties by getting under the second apron.

But will that be the goal for Boston as it approaches a season without Jayson Tatum?

And if so, what if the Celtics fail to find the right money-saving deals for guys like Holiday, Porzingis, and Hauser? Could (gasp) White or Brown be moved this summer?

Wright didn’t seem to rule it out.

“If I were a Celtics fan, I would just be hoping that some way, the next time Jayson Tatum takes the court, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are still his teammates even if everything else is gone,” Wright said.

That’s a sentiment that every Celtics supporter can relate to.

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