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6 hours ago
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The Boston Celtics did not wait long for the season to officially be over, dealing two of their starters just days after the Oklahoma City Thunder won the championship.
Both Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday were dealt to the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, and General Manager Brad Stevens had good reason to do so.
In 2023 the NBA introduced the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and within that, two aprons were introduced revolving around teams' salary cap and financials.
There are two thresholds, the first and second apron. If a team were to pass the second apron, which would be done by having too much money on the books, that team would be penalized.
It is a salary cap level that when triggered, will impose certain penalties and restrictions on a team. For example, this could mean a team's future first-round pick will be frozen.
Holiday and Porziņģis were brought in just two years ago, and they won a championship together in Boston, but because of their hefty contracts, they were the players to go.
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Since the two trades, the Celtics have reduced their luxury tax penalty by nearly $210 million by trading away these players in exchange for Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang. These trades now put them $4.5 million below the second apron.
For many fans, these trades may not make sense, as this very team won a championship just a year ago with the same core.
Brad Stevens understood that it would be difficult to compete next year with Jayson Tatum out for the whole season, and used it as an opportunity to retool the roster so it would be fit for success in the future.
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