![\"Dec](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3994,h_2246,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/inside_the_celtics\/01jvj4sgjhd4gp21depn.jpg\")
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The Boston Celtics’ season ended unexpectedly on Friday when their division rival, the New York Knicks, defeated them in six games. It was a series that not many expected to pan out the way it did, especially with the massive injury to the best player in the series, Jayson Tatum.<\/p>\n
It was a crushing blow to the Celtics’ season, who had hopes of going back-to-back. Instead, the page is now turning to the next season and beyond. The Celtics have a ton of questions they need to tackle head-on.<\/p>\n
One major concern the team will need to tackle is managing its roster costs, particularly with certain high-priced contracts on the books. Tatum\u2019s supermax extension, set to begin next season, is expected to significantly inflate their salary obligations.<\/p>\n
With the combination of salaries and luxury tax penalties, the franchise could see its total payroll surpass the $500 million threshold.<\/p>\n
The Celtics will have no other choice but to trim the fat, and a name that could be on the left is their star big man, Kristaps Porzingis.<\/p>\n
Porzingis, 29, could find himself with a new team for the start of the 2025-26 season, and that team could be with the Celtics’ biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report provided this massive trade proposal that sends the champion big man to the Lakers.<\/p>\n
Celtics receive: Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, a 2030 first-round pick swap and a 2032 first-round pick swap<\/strong><\/p>\n Lakers receive: Kristaps Porzingis<\/strong><\/p>\n “More to the point, the Los Angeles Lakers just need a real center. Porzi\u0146\u0123is provides shot blocking, floor spacing and the occasional post-up. And he’d be a dramatic upgrade over Jaxson Hayes.<\/p>\n “For Boston, this one isn’t as much about financial flexibility. Porzi\u0146\u0123is’ deal expires after 2025-26, but draft assets are valuable. And Rui Hachimura would give them a slightly younger forward than KP, who could theoretically fit alongside Tatum in positionless forward combinations (assuming the Celtics were to sign him beyond this season).”<\/em><\/p>\n Losing Porzingis is not an ideal move for the Celtics, but it may be deemed necessary, not only for contract purposes but also because of his questionable health.<\/p>\n Porzingis has only played 99 out of 164 games in two seasons in Boston. In the back half of the season and leading into the playoffs, he dealt with a mysterious illness that heavily affected his play.<\/p>\n While he is effective when on the court, keeping him around may not be worth the risk.<\/p>\n In return, the Celtics get two effective forwards and some draft capital as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Boston Celtics’ season ended unexpectedly on Friday when their division rival, the New York Knicks, defeated them in six games. It was a series that not… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n