The Boston Celtics are entering a gap year after an offseason full of change.
Following Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles in the team’s Eastern Conference semifinals series loss to the New York Knicks, Boston began retooling its roster to avoid the dreaded penalties of the second apron. To dodge looming financial constraints, the team traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis before the NBA Draft on June 25, where the Celtics notably selected Hugo Gonzalez with the No. 28 overall pick.
The 19-year-old is a 6-foot-6 guard-forward who has a promising future, though he’ll likely need some time to develop before becoming a contributor at the NBA level. The Celtics, however, are looking to return to title contention by 2026-27, as Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign.
Celtics trade idea brings back Justin Champagnie
The Celtics still have a fairly loaded backcourt heading into the 2025-26 season, with Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman all ahead of Gonzalez in the rotation. While Simons has been named a trade candidate after being acquired in the Holiday deal in June, nothing is set in stone.
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If the Celtics are unwilling to wait for Gonzalez to develop and would rather acquire a piece to compete next season, they could aim to trade him to a rebuilding squad. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently put together a mock trade that would send the promising youngster to the Washington Wizards.
Here’s Buckley’s proposed trade:
Celtics receive: Justin Champagnie
Wizards receive: Hugo Gonzalez, 2026 second-round pick (via MIN, NYK, NOP or POR)
The Eastern Conference appears wide open this season, and that isn’t likely to change much in 2026-27, when Tatum is expected to be at full strength. Champagnie is coming off a breakout season with the Wizards, flashing his two-way capabilities and improved shooting.
In 62 regular-season appearances with Washington last season, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc across 21.6 minutes per game, all of which were career highs.
The 24-year-old forward briefly joined Boston in April 2023 before being waived that July. A reunion with Champagnie could be beneficial for the Celtics, and he’s also under contract through 2027-28, with the final year including a team option.
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