Celtics Contending Again Despite Cutting $300M in Projected Salary

The Celtics were poised for a gap year after Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles tear in last season’s playoffs. But nearly halfway through the 2025–26 season, Boston sits in second place in the Eastern Conference—the same position they finished last season when they were a favorite to repeat as NBA champions.

The Celtics jumped to No. 2 in the East following a win over the Bulls on Monday, moving ahead of the Knicks, the betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Celtics’ current record (23–12) is slightly worse than its record through 35 games last year (26–9), but the franchise’s spot near the top of the conference is still a surprise given its offseason moves.

Months after Tatum’s injury, Boston moved on from several core pieces of its 2024 championship roster:

• Jrue Holiday (July 7): Traded to the Trail Blazers
• Kristaps Porziņģis (July 7): Traded to Hawks
• Luke Kornet (July 7): Signed with Spurs
• Al Horford (Oct. 1): Signed with Warriors

The moves were intended to shed significant salary as Boston faced a payroll and tax bill totalling about $540 million for the 2025–26 season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It would have been the largest total bill in NBA history, which would have been inherited by the team’s new ownership group led by William Chisolm that bought the team for a then-record $6.1 billion in the 2025 offseason.

The final major cost-cutting move the Celtics did in the offseason was trading Georges Niang, who they acquired from Atlanta for Porziņģis. The deal cut the 2025–26 bill down to its current number: $239 million. That’s around $300 million less than projections entering the offseason. 

A day later, the sale to Chisolm was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.

Despite the volume of offseason moves, the Celtics are still first-apron salary cap violators. They have the opportunity to shed more salary before the trade deadline in February, particularly if they’re able to trade Anfernee Simons, who has an expiring contract worth $27.7 million.

But Boston can also bet on its roster by staying put, especially as Tatum is rumored to be returning within the year. Tatum tore his Achilles on May 12, and while the timeline to return from an Achilles injury is normally 12 months, Tatum has not been ruled out for the season. 

Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton both sustained torn Achilles injuries during the 2025 postseason and have been ruled out for this season. Haliburton was injured in late June, more than a month after Tatum, while Lillard sustained his injury two weeks before Tatum. 

It’s unclear how effective Tatum would be if he were to return from injury this year. But the Celtics’ success has turned this year from a lost season to an opportunity at another deep playoff run—and they could have their best player back for the ride.