The worst nightmare has become reality for Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.
It has been confirmed that Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in the Celtics’ Game 4 loss to the Knicks and underwent surgery on Tuesday.
The injury puts his availability for the 2025-26 campaign in jeopardy.
“No timetable is currently available for his return, but he is expected to make a full recovery,” the Celtics announced. “Further updates will be provided when appropriate.”
Of all the things Tatum brings to the Celtics, maybe the most impressive is his durability—something you just can’t stress enough, especially in today’s NBA.
Since entering the league in 2017-18, no one has played more combined regular season and postseason minutes or games than Tatum. It’s not even close—he’s logged 23 more games and 1,564 more minutes than the next closest player. He’s missed just one playoff game in his entire career. He has missed two or more consecutive games just four times in his career.
In NBA history, only Larry Bird and Horace Grant have recorded more postseason minutes through their first eight seasons. In an era defined by load management, Tatum has been the exception, fighting with team leadership just to suit up for a Monday night against the Hornets in January.
The Celtics have reaped the benefits of that mindset, and the accolades speak for themselves. Tatum, now 27, is a perennial First Team All-NBA selection, in line to earn his fourth straight nod this season. He’s helped lead the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals in seven years—more than the Hornets, Pelicans, Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Kings, Nets, Hawks, Raptors, Magic, and Wizards have in their entire franchise histories.
He’s led Boston to two NBA Finals appearances and helped deliver the long-coveted Banner 18 last spring, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Tim Duncan, and Larry Bird as the only players in league history to win a title while leading their team in total points, rebounds, and assists.
The six-time All-Star—the most All-Star selections by any Celtic before turning 27—is a generational player, already cemented as one of the greatest to wear green. He’s been the bedrock of Boston’s sustained success for nearly a decade. Now, in an instant, the Celtics are forced to navigate a season without him, just as he is entering the peak of his powers. And beyond that loom franchise-altering questions.
Will Tatum return as the same player? What does this mean for a roster that’s set to be the most expensive in NBA history? Will ownership feel pressure to cut salary with their franchise cornerstone sidelined for what could be a full year?
These are the questions no one in the Celtics organization—or fanbase—expected to be asking so soon. And ones that, right now, feel impossible to answer.
“I’ve got no words right now,” Jaylen Brown said Monday night.
It’s a gut-wrenching reminder of how quickly everything can change in the NBA—and why every championship should be cherished, not minimized. Critics may dismiss last season’s title because the “path was easy,” but the truth is, so much has to go right to win it all. Nothing is guaranteed. Things change in an instant, but banners hang forever.
Now, a summer that was supposed to be about champagne and confetti is instead filled with uncertainty and difficult decisions. Boston is facing an unprecedentedly high projected $280 million luxury tax bill and what would be the first $500 million roster in league history. The starting five alone—Tatum ($54.1M), Brown ($53.1M), Holiday ($32.4M), Porzingis ($30.7M), and White ($30M)—will cost nearly $200 million.
That was already going to be a tough bill to swallow. Changes felt inevitable. Without Tatum, it becomes even harder to justify.
So begins what promises to be a pivotal offseason for the Celtics. A championship window that looked wide open may now be on pause. The front office will be tasked with retaining as much of this title-winning core as possible while shedding salary to avoid the second apron and building a roster that can compete without its best player.
When this group came together, everyone knew it wouldn’t last forever. That’s the harsh reality of the new CBA. It’s a reality the Celtics have been bracing for—but now, they can’t avoid it.
Everything is on the table, aside from trading Tatum. Change is coming. Buckle up.
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