Celtics May Top List of Worst Offseason’s In the League

The Boston Celtics will enter the 2025-26 NBA season as one of the most incomplete teams across the league. They lost Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis during the summer, primarily as a cost-cutting measure that Boston had to go through. The real loss occurred during the playoffs when Jayson Tatum suffered an injury, which will likely keep him out for most of the upcoming season, if he even plays at all. What the Celtics front office was going to do this offseason to fill in the gaps for Tatum was in question. Well, according to one NBA insider, the C’s front office hasn’t done much, leading to his outlook on their season being bleak, and their offseason activity even worse.

Celtics May Top List of Worst Offseason’s In the League

NBA insider David Aldridge tabs Boston Celtics offseason means a “bleak Beantown”

Boston’s upcoming season will either be a wash or a major surprise, considering that Jaylen Brown is still present. Still, Boston didn’t nearly do enough to make up for the losses of Holiday and Porzingis, which leaves the Celtics’ roster in serious question. According to NBA insider David Aldridge, because of Boston’s cost-cutting and minimal activity during the offseason compared to the rest of the league, the immediate future in Boston isn’t good.

“The second apron ran like a scythe through the Celtics’ dreams of an extended run atop the East,” Aldridge writes. “While Boston awaits Jayson Tatum’s return, likely for the 2026-27 season, it will have to figure out who will ride with Tatum, [Jaylen] Brown and (presumably) Derrick White going forward. Is [Anfernee] Simons part of the retooling, or will he be flipped for more payers and picks?”

Regarding the small moves Boston did make, Aldridge had this to say, “[Luka] Garza isn’t without offensive talent, but he’s a couple of steps down, obviously, from Kristaps Porzingis. [Hugo] Gonzalez projects as a solid if not spectacular wing. It’s going to be bleak in Beantown for a minute.”

The state of the East could still make Boston a playoff team

What’s incredible about Boston’s current situation and the absence of Tatum is that the Celtics may still have a fighting chance in the East. The East, compared to the West, is like black and white. The West’s significant strength and competitiveness over the East work in Boston’s favor. This reality is nothing new, of course, as the West has arguably been the stronger conference for almost two decades, possibly going further back to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ three-peat in the early 2000s.

Today, unlike the West, the East has fewer legitimate championship contenders, and fewer true playoff threats. That said, with Tatum M.I.A., it opens the door for the other teams. Apart from the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and the Detroit Pistons—all of whom are locks to make the playoffs—the majority of the other teams are fringe contenders at best. Still, the window is more open for them.

No one knows what teams like the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, or Chicago Bulls will be like. It’s because of the East’s instability that the Celtics can still make the playoffs and make some level of noise. One thing is for sure: With Tatum out, this is Brown’s team now. If Boston is to do anything this season, he’ll be the one leading the way.