Just over a year ago, the Boston Celtics appeared to be on the verge of a dynasty. They were celebrating an NBA championship victory, and with Jayson Tatum leading a mostly youthful core, the sky seemed to be the limit for the Celtics.
But then, this past May, everything changed. Tatum tore his Achilles during Boston’s second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, likely knocking him out for all of next season and putting his future in jeopardy.
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The Celtics, seeing the writing on the wall, traded both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in an attempt to salvage their salary cap situation back in June. They have also allowed Al Horford and Luke Kornet to walk via free agency (even though Horford has not signed quite yet).
Boston is now entering a transition year in 2025-26, one without Tatum and with its two top players, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, surrounded by trade speculation.
In the midst of the chaos, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes has offered a brutal prediction as far as Tatum is concerned, prognosticating that the C’s will never again win another title with the Duke product as their top option.
“Tatum should return next year but will likely be less than his best self until at least 2027-28,” Hughes wrote. “At that point, Jaylen Brown will be 31 and earning $61 million. Derrick White will collect $32 million in his age-33 campaign. Throw Tatum’s salary in there, and Boston will have $157 million committed to three players. … Boston had loads of deep playoff runs with Tatum at the forefront, and it won a title in 2024. Another one won’t arrive until long after Tatum is either gone or reduced to second-option status.”
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That’s certainly a harsh take for Tatum, who is still just 27 years old and has plenty of runway ahead of him. However, Achilles injuries can be career-altering, which is why the Celtics definitely need to exercise caution with their superstar.
Boston is a first-class organization that scouts well, drafts well and always manages to make shrewd trades and financial decisions, but the Celtics’ road back to the finals just became exceedingly more difficult.
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