Celtics Insider Believes 2 Players are Likely to Be Traded From Current Roster

The Boston Celtics have achieved their primary goal of the 2025 offseason — offloading enough contracts to dip below the NBA's punitive second luxury tax apron.

Such is the nature of contending teams in the bizarre modern CBA: when an injury hits (in this case, Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear), teams with a shot at the title see it as an opportunity to save money and get rid of valuable contributors.

The Indiana Pacers, who are also without their best player as Tyrese Haliburton recovers from an Achilles tear, similarly let center Myles Turner depart in free agency and appear to be happy to avoid even the first luxury tax apron for the 21st consecutive year.

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Celtics general manager Brad Stevens has already ditched starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and appears happy to let centers Luke Kornet and Al Horford walk in free agency. Horford remains unsigned, but has been frequently linked to the Golden State Warriors. Stevens even cut a minimum-salaried point guard, JD Davison, to get beneath that cap threshold.

But Boston may not be done dealing.

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Per Brian Robb of MassLive, two frontcourt veterans in particular could be on the move at some point in 2025-26: deep-bench power forward Xavier Tillman and new trade acquisition Georges Niang, who was obtained in the Porzingis trade to the Atlanta Hawks.

"Tillman will be a salary dump if/when he is moved so the Celtics can probably include some extra cash for a team to take him (if Boston has other plans for his roster spot)," Robb writes. "Beyond that, Niang should be movable if he has a productive start to the season given his reasonable salary and expiring contract."

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