People are already raising concerns after the Boston Celtics lost to the New York Knicks in back-to-back games in their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series
As the series moves to Madison Square Garden for the next two games, Boston is down the Knicks 2-0. Since the Celtics are now down 2-0, there is a greater chance that they will lose, which might result in significant adjustments.
During his appearance on “First Take” on Thursday, ESPN NBA writer Brian Windhorst discussed the Celtics’ future and potential moves.
“This is a conversation I did not think I would be having on May 8. I thought this would be a conversation for July. But, next year, their payroll is $460 million when you compute the taxes. If they keep their draft pick … it’s going to top $500 million. They’ve got new owners. They’re buying it for $6 billion. They need to take on all these partners just to put half the money together. I don’t know what’s going to happen there, but there’s a possibility this team’s not going to come back. No matter what, they might not be able to come back. Because they’re the most expensive sports team in the history of the game. That’s what’s on the line,” Windhorst said.
“This team has shown that it is capable of winning championships. This team has demonstrated that they are a 60-win squad this season. This team has a chance to win the title once more this year. However, I don’t see how you can defend spending $500 on the roster once more if they don’t win this series.
According to estimates, the Celtics have $264 million set aside for their team in the upcoming campaign. Spotrac estimates that they will owe $238 million in taxes. Yes, if the Celtics wish to retain their team for the upcoming season, they will have to pay $500 million. If they made it back to the NBA Finals or took home the trophy once more, they would most likely give it some thought. If you lose in the second round of the playoffs, it’s more difficult to defend spending that much money.
Even though Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown alone are expected to cost over $107 million next season, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis together earn $63 million, Derrick White earns $28 million, and it’s difficult to imagine Al Horford returning for $18 million, the team’s front office will likely make different decisions about next season if they lose in the conference semifinals than if they make it back to the NBA Finals.