Celtics legend believes Jayson Tatum's injury made tough decisions easier

Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon injury during the Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the New York Knicks. He's expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 NBA season. 

Tatum's injury ultimately set the scene for what has become a significant talent drain in Boston throughout the summer. Brad Stevens traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, while also letting Luke Kornet and Al Horford walk in free agency. Those were four key contributors to the 2024 NBA championship run. 

According to Paul Pierce, Tatum's injury likely made Stevens' decision to cut costs a far easier one.

"I’m not sure if that injury played a big role in the changes, because I feel like they still would have been in the same situation even if Tatum didn’t get hurt, you know, as far as luxury tax and the second apron and all of those things,” Pierce said, via Celtics insider Steve Bulpett of Heavy on Celtics,. "...Whether he’s hurt or not, I think they would have had to still make these decisions. But I do think it made it easier to make them." 

The Celtics are now firmly in a retooling phase. Of course, they still have some legitimate talent in their ranks with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser still on the roster.

The Celtics front court is the concern

After parting ways with three key pieces of the front court, Joe Mazzulla will now rely on Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Chris Boucher for the upcoming season. The lack of experience and high-end talent will certainly be a concern for Celtics fans, especially in terms of what the product could look like on the defensive end.

Nevertheless, the Celtics are trying to find cost-controlled talent. Queta will likely be allowed to prove himself as a starting-caliber center at the NBA level. Garza, on the other hand, will be given the playing time he struggled to earn during a three-year run with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Celtics faced a mammoth payroll 

The reason the Celtics have made such a big pivot this summer is that their payroll for the upcoming season was projected to reach or exceed $500 million once luxury taxes were included. Then, there was the issue of the second luxury tax apron and how that would limit the team's ability to retool the rotation.

Without Tatum, the Celtics weren't going to contend for a championship. Therefore, cutting costs was a logical approach. Now, the Celtics will have some financial flexibility in the coming years to begin rebuilding a championship-caliber roster around Tatum and Brown. 

Therefore, Pierce is likely right on the money with his assumption. Either way, Boston needed to make these tough decisions. However, Tatum's injury provided the platform for Stevens to push ahead with them this summer, rather than waiting another year or two.