Should Celtics Tank Next Season? Weighing Pros, Cons Of Strategy
Who should Boston consider trading away?
The Celtics face a challenging offseason, and it’s led to multiple theories about what they’ll do.
Boston must shed salary this offseason to avoid the second apron, which comes with multiple basketball penalties that won’t allow the C’s to make valuable transactions. The best way to do this is by trading key players, but the problem is, which ones do you keep and which ones do you let go?
The “favorites” are Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser, because of how they fit on the team and how flexible their contracts are. However, analysts haven’t been afraid to throw out ideas of trading Jaylen Brown or making a massive trade for presumed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Also, Derrick White could be a valuable asset who could net a solid return.
Travis Thomas and Kasey Hudson discussed those possibilities along with the idea of tanking the 2025-26 season on the latest episode of “Boston Has Entered The Chat.” Why do this?
Well, Jayson Tatum likely will miss most of next season due to his Achilles injury. Boston’s ceiling will be limited without him, and it might not be worth staying in the middle. The Celtics could be better off trying to land a high lottery pick who could pair with Tatum and potentially Jaylen Brown in the 2026-27 season to rejuvenate the franchise.
However, tanking is a tough proposition for a city that’s used to winning championships. Boston hasn’t had a losing season since the 2013-14 season. Tanking would involve trading away most of your key players, like White and even Payton Pritchard. It’s a risk that could damage the franchise in the long term.
The idea is more hypothetical since it didn’t sound like president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was interested in tearing things down. Tatum’s injury will impact the Celtics, and whatever moves Stevens makes will impact the franchise for years to come.
You can listen to more of “Boston Has Entered The Chat” on YouTube or Spotify.
