May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics centers Kristaps Porzingis (8) and Al Horford (42) and guards Jaylen Brown (7) and Derrick White (9) during the first quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Celtics Star's Future Was in Question Long Before Jayson Tatum’s Injury

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Ryan Stano | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 3:22 PM ET

The Boston Celtics are going to be a much different team next season than they were this season. They are going to try to shed a lot of salary this offseason.

Boston won't be competing for a championship with Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles in the playoffs. That means that this would be the perfect time for a roster reset.

That injury isn't the catalyst for a lot of what is going to happen, though. One player was likely on the trade block even before Tatum suffered that catastrophic injury against the Knicks.

Kristaps Porzingis is one of the players who was likely going to be put on the trade block because of how much money he will be making with the rest of his contract.

In fact, other NBA executives believe that he is the most likely trade candidate on the Celtics' roster this summer. If that's true, his time in Boston would be short.

Boston traded for him a couple of years ago as a guy who they thought could raise the ceiling of the team to new heights. He did, when he was actually available to play games.

The issue is that Porzingis hasn't been available enough to justify the amount of money that he is getting paid. He will make $30.7 million next season.

Porzingis wasn't able to play in enough playoff games in either of the last two years for the Celtics to justify bringing him back. They will likely look for a partner to trade him as soon as the new league year starts.

More Celtics news: Celtics Urged to Make Major Roster Reset

It remains to be seen what kind of return they can get for Porzingis once they put him on the block. The Celtics are going to try to shed as much salary as they can while still being competitive.

Brad Stevens will have a lot of tough decisions to make over the next couple of months. How much money they are able to shed will depend on the return they believe they can get for their guys.

This season, Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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