{"id":45027,"date":"2025-03-20T08:27:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027"},"modified":"2025-03-20T08:27:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:27:52","slug":"breaking-news-celtics-could-acquire-clippers-36-3-million-superstar-in-money-saving-move-sporting-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: Celtics could acquire Clippers’ $36.3 million superstar in money-saving move"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Boston Celtics seem to be embracing a financial situation wherein their cap space is dangerously thin and their luxury bill is dangerously fat.Currently, Boston is set to have the NBA\u2019s highest total cap figure in 2025-26 at $262.2 million (per Spotrac).<\/p>\n

If the Celts win another title this season, it\u2019s all worth it. But if they fall short of back-to-back \u2018ships, will Boston\u2019s front office take a step back and make a huge move to establish some fiscal breathing room?<\/p>\n

On-court performance isn\u2019t the only variable that will determine the Celtics\u2019 plan of attack. New ownership will soon take over, which could result in massive roster changes. Dr. Bill Simmons (father of The Sports Guy) recently suggested that Jaylen Brown\u2019s time in Boston could end if the new owners don\u2019t feel like paying the tax (and the Celtics aren\u2019t on a title streak).<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s been floated in trade rumors virtually every year of his career, so it\u2019s not controversial to suggest that he could be on the move as early as the upcoming offseason, but what direction would the Celtics take if that actually happened?<\/p>\n

The goal would be to remain a bona fide contender despite Brown\u2019s departure, which would be possible with guys like Jayson Tatum and Derrick White still on the roster.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting to think about what kind of player or players Celtics GM Brad Stevens could bring in with the flexibility gained from shedding Brown\u2019s supermax contract.<\/p>\n

What if Stevens went after a superstar in the twilight of their career, someone with one or two good years left who could legitimately add to a championship team without costing a max salary?<\/p>\n

Three-time scoring champ and former NBA MVP James Harden has a player option this summer. Harden turns 36 in August but is still playing All-Star-level basketball for the LA Clippers despite his diminished athleticism. He\u2019s also ringless, and the opportunity to join the Celtics for a championship run (or two) would entice him.<\/p>\n

In a world where the Celtics moved on from Brown \u2014 who is owed a whopping $53.1 million next season \u2014 bringing in Harden on a yearly salary about half as large could be a sneaky good move by Stevens.<\/p>\n

By the way, the Celtics could also acquire Harden via trade if he opted in (Harden and Derrick Jones Jr. or Harden and Ivica Zubac for Brown works money-wise). Harden’s $36.3 million next season would still be far cheaper than Brown’s cap hit.<\/p>\n

Swapping out Brown for Harden would free the Celtics from Brown\u2019s supermax deal that lasts until 2028-29 (at which point JB is getting paid $65 million). As a result, Boston would have way more flexibility to add pieces around Tatum moving forward, sustaining the team\u2019s excellence throughout JT\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Then again, keeping Brown on the team could achieve that same sustainability.<\/p>\n

Trading Brown would be a basketball risk \u2014 because he\u2019s very good \u2014 but it would definitely be a financial win, even if Stevens wasn\u2019t able to replace Brown with a future Hall of Famer like Harden.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also Harden\u2019s fit on the Celtics to consider \u2014 would it work? He\u2019d obviously defer to Tatum but has always thrived playing with the ball in his hands at the point of attack. Tatum and White currently operate as Boston\u2019s main ball handlers in that sense, so the fit with Harden is not easy to imagine.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Harden\u2019s talent level on offense could take a ton of pressure off Tatum, allowing JT to pick his spots more during the regular season while also giving the Celtics a much more unpredictable offensive attack.<\/p>\n

Plus, Harden would be bloodthirsty for a ring, adding some desperation to a Celtics roster full of guys who have already won one.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boston might think outside the box to stay competitive without spending a fortune.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":45031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: Celtics could acquire Clippers' $36.3 million superstar in money-saving move - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: Celtics could acquire Clippers' $36.3 million superstar in money-saving move - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boston might think outside the box to stay competitive without spending a fortune.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T08:27:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T08:27:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-191.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45027\",\"name\":\"BREAKING NEWS: Celtics could acquire Clippers' $36.3 million superstar in money-saving move - 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