The Boston Celtics’ offseason will be active, and they will need to find some cheap options to make things work.
Over the past couple of years, the Celtics have not only been among the top teams in the league, but they have also been among the most expensive. While winning a championship in 2024 makes all the money spent worth it, their massive payroll simply isn’t sustainable for long-term teambuilding.
With Jayson Tatum set to miss a large chunk of next season and Boston taking a step back already in 2025, the team will have some cost-cutting measures. With Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis projected to be traded, and Al Horford’s future uncertain, the Celtics could have some significant holes to fill inside.
The trade dominoes started falling on Sunday when the Orlando Magic acquired Desmond Bane in a surprising deal. As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn noted, the Magic’s interest in Nickeil Alexander-Walker could now be reliant on declining the non-guaranteed team options of Gary Harris and Mo Wagner.
If the Magic feel comfortable they can pursue Alexander-Walker or another MLE-demanding free agent, Wagner could quickly become a free agent target for the Celtics. At 6-foot-11, Wagner has some size inside and averaged 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for Orlando in 30 games last season.
While those numbers could indicate that Wagner is out of Boston’s price range, he will be coming off a torn ACL, and it could be worthwhile for the big man to take a small deal with a contender to rehab his image and prove he’s worth a much bigger contract in the summer of 2026.
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Of course, there is a natural connection to Boston for Wagner, with him playing nine games with the Celtics in 2021. Although Wagner has made a name for himself in Orlando over the past four-plus seasons, this could be the perfect opportunity for him to move on and begin the next chapter of his career.
