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Jaylen Brown’s Blunt Response on Celtics Future After Playoff Elimination

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 17, 2025 12:50 AM ET

Less than 12 months after winning their 18th NBA championship, the Boston Celtics' 2024-25 season ended in the form of a massacre at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

The New York Knicks pulverized the Celtics, 119-81, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and sent the Celtics home for the summer. It will be a pivotal summer for Boston, as it may have to jettison at least one of its key players in order to gain at least a bit of salary-cap flexibility.

Star wing Jaylen Brown tried to put a brave face on the franchise's outlook following its Game 6 loss.

“It looks gloomy right now … but there’s a lot to look forward to,” he said.

Jaylen Brown: “It looks gloomy right now … but there’s a lot to look forward to.” He said he wants the city to be excited about the future of the Celtics.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 17, 2025

Next season will likely be a lost one for the Celtics after Jayson Tatum, their best player, ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 versus New York. But Tatum and Brown are young, and if Tatum remains the same player following his rehab, the two should still have many deep playoff runs left in them.

The question is what will happen to the rest of their rotation.

Starting point guard Jrue Holiday will turn 35 years of age next month and will make over $30 million in each of the next three seasons. Big man Al Horford will turn 39 in a few weeks, and he will become a free agent shortly afterward.

If the Celtics end up jettisoning Holiday, it would be a sizable blow given how much he excels defensively.

Either way, due to his advanced age, their chances of winning another championship anytime soon seem very murky right now, no matter how optimistic Brown may feel on the inside.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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