Celtics' Brad Stevens eases fans' luxury-tax concerns

The Boston Celtics have been busy this summer. The franchise entered the offseason with the threat of a $500M payroll once luxury taxes were factored in. Considering the Celtics didn't project to be a contender in the 2025-26 season due to Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon injury, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens embraced some cost-cutting measures.

As a result, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks, respectively. And then, Al Horford and Luke Kornet were allowed to walk in free agency. Those moves have got Boston well under the second luxury tax apron and only marginally inside of the luxury tax. 

However, there was understandably a level of concern from the fanbase. After all, the Celtics are under new ownership, and the fact that these cost-cutting moves came during the same timeframe led to worries about the new ownership group's willingness to spend. Stevens addressed those concerns Thursday during a news conference.

“You have to give yourself the right flexibility and opportunity to jump at the right deals,” Stevens said. “You don’t always know when those are going to present themselves. So, the second apron was the key…There’s no tax goal. There’s nothing that’s set in stone that we have to get to a certain level.”