NBA Rumors: The 3 Players Who Will Pay for the Poor Playoffs of the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics crashed out of this year's playoffs in their unsuccessful attempt to defend their 2024 NBA championship. Now, following a disastrous spring, a tumultuous summer looms ahead as we have heard that significant changes are on the horizon for the Celtics roster. 

Anticipating that Jayson Tatum will miss the entire upcoming season recovering from his Achilles tendon tear, and with the team's salary structure becoming burdensome next season, the C's need to rebuild their roster. 

Therefore, let's take a look at the top 3 trade candidates that could help Boston address their luxury tax issues. 

Kristaps Porzingis

The center has one year left on his contract worth 30 million dollars, and the Celtics would love to shed that cap hit. He has played only 60% of his team's games in his two seasons in Boston, which is normal for the often-injured unicorn big man. This season, he has only appeared in 42 games and averaged 19.5 points per game, his lowest average in seven years. Finding a trade partner for an expiring 30-million-dollar contract should not be a major issue, especially considering the talent he brings to the court, IF healthy.

Jrue Holiday

He is under contract for another three years at an AAV of just under 35 million dollars. Wouldn't the Celtics love to offload that deal? The two-time champion and six-time NBA Defensive Team member has seen a significant decline in his production this season and is starting to show his age as he approaches 35 next month. Last week, we looked into a trade proposal that would send Holiday to the Detroit Pistons. 

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believes a trade to the Orlando Magic could work. "He may not fetch a huge haul, but the Orlando Magic are a team that could at least justify a swap of pick equivalents... They could use a steady hand at the helm, and Holiday still fits that bill."

Sam Hauser

Matt Dolloff of 98.5 The Sports Hub says the Celtics would undoubtedly be better off without Sam Hauser's superfluous four-year, 45-million-dollar extension on the books.

Hauser is a shooter, with this season's 41.6% being his lowest from long range in his career. However, his production in these playoffs was negligible at best, averaging just three points per game. A good shooter, yes, and they may find some teams willing to offer some perks in return. 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rumores NBA: Los 3 jugadores que van a pagar los platos rotos de los malos Playoffs de Boston Celtics