Latest news with #NBAEasternConferenceSemifinals
USA Today
20 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Why the Boston Celtics may try to get under the tax this season
It was perhaps the biggest open secret in the NBA that the Boston Celtics were looking to get under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA)'s second apron at the start of the 2025 offseason, with the storied ball club staring down what would have been historic payroll and tax bills of over a half-billion dollars. With star Boston forward Jayson Tatum likely out for all of the 2025-26 regular season with a torn Achilles tendon, there was little to justify such an expense, particularly given the St. Louis native's injury came in a loss to the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round. Now, after having dealt away Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons and Kristaps Porzingis for Georges Niang (and Niang for a returning netting no impact on the cap in two way wing RJ Luis Jr.), letting Luke Kornet and Al Horford (presumably) walk in free agency, and cutting 2025 G League Most Valuable Player JD Davison, the Celtics are well under the second apron. From the sounds of recent reports, Boston is still looking to move on from Simons as well, which resonates with the analysis of Third Apron cap expert Yossi Gozlan. "While the Celtics have reduced their tax penalty to a reasonable amount, they're likely not done. They are just $4 million above the first apron," writes Gozlan. "Getting below it would free them of several roster-building restrictions." "For example, they'd be able to take in more salaries than they're sending out in a trade and open up to $14.1 million non-tax mid-level exception," he adds. "More importantly, the Celtics are $12.1 million above the $187.9 million luxury tax line, which is impressive considering they started the season over $40 million above that threshold. They appear set on avoiding the luxury tax altogether." "Their savings are likely the result, rather than a way to open up more spending," notes Gozlan, who points to Boston being a repeater tax club, or "teams that are taxpayers in three of the last four seasons." With the CBA set to be particularly punitive to such teams, getting under the tax this season and next seems wise. While the Tatum injury gives cover to what would be likely be an unpopular path, it seems unlikely teams will welcome not just the high tax bills such status invites, but also the team building barriers making building contending rosters especially onerous. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla, Celtics star Jayson Tatum host RI community event
While neither of them have been avoiding the public eye explicitly, we have not seen much of Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla or star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum since the Celtics lost their 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series vs. the New York Knicks, save for a few brief appearances. At least, until Thursday (Aug. 8), which saw both show up to a team community event in Providence, Rhode Island as the Celtics helped inaugurate a new early learning center. Mazzulla and especially Tatum were major centers of attention for the assembled fans of the team, who came out to the event to celebrate the new center while meeting some of their favorite Boston sports figures. The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Boston Celtics backup big man Neemias Queta had offseason knee surgery
Backup Boston Celtics big man Neemias Queta has had offseason knee surgery, according to recent reporting from CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning. Per the CLNS Media reporter, Queta underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee soon after Boston fell to the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Queta has taken to the court in exhibition play since for his Portuguese National Team in FIBA play this summer with a 15-point, 9-rebound exhibition win vs. Spain, so the surgical intervention seems to have healed right for the Lisbon native. "It's been good," said Queta of his recovery to date. "We've been dealing with this stuff (since) a couple years ago." "We just decided it was a great time for us to do it," he added. "We're trying to get back to 100%. We feel pretty confident in the process, and we're just grateful that we were taken care of, and I want to make sure I'm healthy and get back to 100%, and I feel like I'm on the right path to do that." "We're getting there slowly but surely," added the Boston big man. "We're reconditioning our body, we're figuring out ways to be athletic, ways to be out there moving well." "We're just trying to figure out the movement patterns to get back, and I think it's going well. I'm really confident in the work that I put in, the amount of hours that I put in, and it's going to show." Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
USA Today
03-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Best of Jayson Tatum with the Boston Celtics in 2024-25
We may not get to see star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum on a basketball court for his team again until the start of the NBA's 2026-27 regular season. The St. Louis native tore his Achilles tendon playing the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series that would Boston's last in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Fans of Tatum and the Celtics will likely grow restless waiting for his return to the team, but the folks behind the official Celtics YouTube channel put together a clip of the best of the Duke alum's plays from the 2024-25 season to keep us all occupied while we wait for Tatum to get back to being himself. We might have a shot at seeing him back late in 2025-26, but in the likely case he elects to wait until the following season to return to the court, check out the clip embedded below for your Taco Jay fix in the meantime.
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joe Mazzulla is not on the hot seat with the Boston Celtics
Soon after the Boston Celtics fell to the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, there had been some speculation that Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla might be on the hot seat given the unexpected nature of the early postseason exit, even considering the Achilles tendon injury to star forward Jayson Tatum. But speaking to the media after the first round of the 2025 NBA draft on June 25, Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens opened up about how the team sees Mazzulla's future with the team, revealing a key tidbit about the Celtics coach's contract status with the franchise in the process when asked about his future with the team. "I keep any of those discussions in house," said Stevens via CLNS Media. "But we've got Joe under contract for multiple years right now. So, we certainly want Joe to be around here for a long time." The last news we had about the Boston head coach's contract was when ESPN's Tim Bontemps revealed he'd been given a three-year extension in 2023, meaning his current deal was potentially ending soon without the extension of unknown duration he's evidently been granted since. And even in light of some missteps along the way, Mazzulla has led Boston to to a pair of NBA finals appearances -- winning a title in 2024 in one of them -- and two 60-win seasons in a row. Not a bad resume, when you put things into context, frankly.
