Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is on a continuous mission to shed salary and get under the luxury tax’s first apron during the 2025-26 season. With Jayson Tatum out for the year with an Achilles tear, the all-in push for Banner 19 is on hold for at least a year.
Hardwood Houdini’s Jack Simone offered a win-win package for the Celtics that’d bring back two veterans, one big and one wing, in their 20s who are on the same timeline as Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White: Kevin Huerter and Jalen Smith.
Simone offered an interesting additional incentive for the Bulls’ side of it.
“Chicago could send back a package of Kevin Huerter and Jalen Smith, getting off the second year of Smith’s contract, in exchange for a new guard on the roster, while the Celtics get some added depth. It would also give the Bulls the option to trade one (or both) of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu for additional assets,” Simone wrote.
With the Cs moving on from Georges Niang for a return headlined by St. John’s Red Storm prospect RJ Luis Jr., Stevens and the front office will likely try to go young again. Huerter and Smith might accidentally keep them competitive.
In a weakened Eastern Conference, and with a PBO who’s been able to find diamonds in the rough over the years for cheap, like Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet, there’s no reason not to go for a return like this. Joe Mazzulla doesn’t seem like the tanking type, anyway.
Then again, Stevens has always been shrewd in his mission, whatever the mission is. If being competitive during this time period in any way, shape, or form was on the table, he wouldn’t have moved on from championship backbone pieces like Al Horford and Jrue Holiday and tried to trim salary in other ways.
Stevens is tearing it down, so there’s no need to even tease with talents like Simons, who can score enough to win too many games.
