The Celtics wasted no time overhauling their roster in order to lower a record tax bill, trading two veteran pieces of the 2023-24 championship team over the last 24 hours.
Late Monday night, Boston dealt Jrue Holiday to the Blazers for guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. The following evening, the Celtics reportedly traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Hawks in a three-team deal involving the Nets. In return, Boston received Georges Niang and a second-round pick.
The Celtics saved about $28 million on their 2025–26 payroll from the two trades—but, depending on projections, the team has cut their record $500 million tax bill by about half entering next season.
Yoshi Gozlan of CapSheets.com projected that Boston’s 2025–26 total bill—payroll and tax—is down from $512 million to $274 million. That means the two trades saved the Celtics about $238 million, with $210 million coming purely from tax penalties.
Gozlan’s projections include the Celtics keeping their No. 28 and No. 32 pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday and Thursday.
Projections are fluid at this time of the year, which is why ESPN’s Bobby Marks projects the Celtics to save about $180 million in tax penalties.
Regardless of the exact tax savings, the Celtics, who were sold for $6.1 billion in March (pending league approval), are now below the second apron that is feared by most NBA teams as it severely restricts roster construction.
Boston may not be done dealing to lower its final bill. While it’s unlikely the Celtics will trade one of their max players, the team could save tens of millions—or even completely avoid the tax next season—by dealing guard Derrick White (four years, $118 million) or forward Sam Hauser (four years, $45 million).
