Celtics Front Office Slammed for ‘Gap Year’ Planning

The Boston Celtics' 2025 offseason has not been an ideal one. 

The Celtics knew they needed to make some tough decisions this summer, and they wasted no time in doing so. Boston traded away two of their key members of the team in the past two seasons: Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

On top of that, they also lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency. The Celtics lost a total of four key members of their team, and they'll look to do their best to compete this upcoming season. 

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The Celtics have not had the best of offseasons. It's been a complete 180 compared to last offseason, as the Celtics were coming off celebrating their 18th title in franchise history. 

Because of that, Kevin Pelton of ESPN gave the Celtics a "C" grade for this offseason so far. 

"The upside is the Celtics managed to balance their books without giving up any future first-round picks, getting under the second apron with a plausible path to avoiding the tax altogether in a gap year following Jayson Tatum's Achilles rupture," Pelton writes. "The downside is Boston shed a massive amount of talent, including everyone taller than 6-foot-8 who played at least 13 minutes in the 2025 playoffs. The Celtics will be challenged to replenish their frontcourt depth and, crucially, the versatility lost with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis."

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The Celtics have more questions than answers as we approach the month of August.

It's unclear if the team will have their superstar forward, Jayson Tatum, for the 2025-26 season. Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in mid-May. He was spotted without a walking boot already, but it is unclear when, or if, he will return to the lineup this upcoming season. 

Boston still has All-Star Jaylen Brown on their side, who will take the leading role this upcoming season; however, beyond that, it's starting to look a little scary. 

The Celtics will also look to lean on the likes of Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, to name a few. 

Boston will be in uncharted waters this upcoming season as they won't be in the hunt for a title. However, that could and should all change once the 2026-27 season rolls around. 

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.