On Monday, Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, sat down for a nearly 25-minute, rather candid, press conference at the Auerbach Center.
Here are the takeaways:
So long, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis
The last time Stevens spoke, no trades were official, and free agency had not yet started, so he was not allowed to address any transactions.
However, on Monday, the trades that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons (the two second-round picks reported initially to be part of the deal were altered due to Holiday’s medicals) and Kristaps Porzingis and a 2026 second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Georges Niang and Cleveland’s 2031 second-round pick via Atlanta were made official, allowing Stevens to address the players by name.
In his opening statement, he acknowledged the players who had departed — Holiday, Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, who signed a four-year, $41 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
“I want to start by saying thank you to Jrue and KP and Luke for all that they gave here and all that they meant here,” Stevens said. “I think I could go into great detail on each of them, but- Jrue being here for two years, KP being here for two years, obviously, had a huge impact, not only on our team but on the city and the community and everything else. And Luke being here a little bit longer than that, same thing. And so, we wish those guys well. We’ll be rooting for them from afar.”
Stevens went on to matter-of-factly explain that the reason Holiday and Porzingis are no longer with the team is because of the second apron and the penalties that come with it.
“The second apron is why those trades happened. I think that those were pretty obvious. And the basketball penalties associated with those are real,” he said. “We’ve all talked about that, but we were fortunate because we like the guys we got back. And I think that that’s one of the things that we are excited about. But yeah, Jrue Holiday, I think he stamped his Hall-of-Famer candidacy here, if he didn’t already have it. And we’ll look forward to watching and, again, rooting and following him from afar. But he’s as good of a person as you could ever have in your building and as part of your team. And KP, he fought some of the stuff, health-wise, in the last two years, but when he played, he was awfully good, and we think he’ll be awfully good for Atlanta this year. And so, again, those are not easy trades to make. Those are not easy phone calls. Obviously, those guys have been around the league for a long time. They knew the CBA. They knew that there was a high likelihood that they could be part of the move, and they had been communicated that before, but it’s still hard when you are. But again, we will miss them, and we’re thankful for them.”
“It was really important for us to, again, get us out of that penalty box in a lot of ways because you can feel those, and those are real things,” Stevens added. “And so, I had conversations with both of them prior, too. So, they’re still hard phone calls to make. It’s harder to think about not seeing Jrue and KP in and around the facility every day. That’s the hardest part.”
Speaking of the return, Stevens addressed the new faces
The Celtics also made the free agent signings of Luka Garza and Josh Minott official on Monday, allowing Stevens to address both the former Timberwolves signed in free agency, as well as Simons and Niang.
“We’ve obviously been limited in what tools we can use with where we are right around the second apron, so we’re looking for guys on those contracts that have upside,” Stevens said on Garza and Minott. “That are competitors. That are workers that want to be good that haven’t hit their peak yet, but we’ve seen something in them that we think gives them a chance to be very impactful.”
Both players have seen limited playing time in Minnesota. Garza, 26, has only seen 1,018 total minutes (regular and postseason) in his four-year NBA career, averaging just 7.4 per game in his career. Minott, 22, has seen 510 minutes (regular and postseason) across his three-year NBA career, averaging just 4.9 per contest. Both players have spent time in the G-League.
“Luka, obviously, has been a stats darling, but in limited time behind very, very good players. And the same thing with Minott,” said Stevens. “Minott is a guy that brings a lot of versatility to the table, is a person that can guard several positions, can shoot a little bit, but plays with great energy and length. Both those guys really rebound.
“We have a team that is being retooled. I think the biggest thing is bringing in guys that can complement our best players and our core but also have some upside,” Stevens added. And maybe some unrealized upside thus far, and they were in a great situation. They were coached by a great coach in Chris Finch and a great organization with a ton of talent, so they’re used to winning. I like that too.”
Simons and Niang, the players acquired via trade, are more established.
Simons averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in the 70 games (all starts) he played in Portland last season. He led the team in scoring a team-high 28 times and in assists a team-high 31 times. The 26-year-old has played seven professional seasons, all in Portland, and is a career 38.1% three-point shooter. He has shot at least 36% in each of the last five seasons. Last year, he made a career-high 215 three-pointers, making him one of just 20 players to make at least 200 threes.
“Anfernee is a guy that people out here probably don’t see as much because of the time that they play,” said Stevens. “But his ability to score, his ability to shoot the ball, make really hard shots, is pretty elite. And you look at a guy that’s 26 years old, who’s averaged 20 a game for three straight years. I think he’s a really good player, and I think he can get better. And that’s a big part of it.”
Niang is a Methuen native who attended the Tilton School in New Hampshire. He has played nine professional seasons, with stops in Indiana, Utah, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and most recently, Atlanta. The 32-year-old appeared in 79 games last season — 51 with Cleveland and 28 with Atlanta — averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6% from three on 5.2 attempts per game. He’s a career 39.9% shooter from beyond the arc and has hit 40% or better in six of the last seven seasons. Notably, his 295 wins since 2020 are the most in the NBA over that stretch, including playoffs.
“Niang has just added value to winning on each team he’s been on,” said Stevens. “And he’s a pain to play against, which I very much admire. He knows what he does well, and he knows how to bring out the best in his group. It’s not a coincidence that he was a part of the rotation on those really good Philly teams. He was a part of the rotation this year in Cleveland before the trade. The guy is a winner. Knows how to play, knows how to bring out the best in people. So, happy he’s here.”
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are progressing nicely
On Monday, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard ruled out star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire 2025-26 season following surgery to repair a torn right Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 22. That’s not a declaration Brad Stevens is willing to make on Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 12.
“We’re not even talking about the timeline for return. We’re not even going there,” said Stevens. “Jayson is working every single day. He has literally been here every day except for a few days break, but when he takes a few days break, Nick [Sang] goes with him, so he’s still working every single day.”
Tatum has shared rehab updates on social media, most recently posting a video of himself walking in a pool. But as he has from the outset, Stevens remains reluctant to put any timeline on his All-NBA wing.
“We’re not gonna put any pressure on Jayson to get back anytime soon,” reiterated Stevens.
Alongside Tatum, Jaylen Brown—who had a procedure last month to repair a partially torn meniscus—has also been a regular at the Auerbach Center as both stars continue their day-to-day rehab.
“It’s been unique to be here in June, and the early part of July, and both Jaylen and Jayson are here. We’ve played obviously late, and this is usually the time where guys get away, but coming off each of them having surgery, they’ve both been here,” said Stevens. “Jaylen was in this morning and did a shooting workout, looks good, and Jayson was moving pretty fast in that boot today, so all indications are they’re both progressing at incredible rates, which is great.”
Brown is expected to be cleared well before the start of training camp.
Would the trades to get under the second apron have happened had Tatum not gone down?
Before all the offseason moves, the Celtics were staring at a projected $280 million luxury tax bill and what would’ve been the first $500 million roster in NBA history. The starting five alone—Tatum ($54.1M), Brown ($53.1M), Holiday ($32.4M), Porzingis ($30.7M), and White ($30M)—would have cost nearly $200 million. And that’s just the financial hit, not even accounting for the basketball penalties tied to second-apron restrictions.
That was already a tough bill to swallow. With Tatum sidelined, it felt harder to justify running it back. But were changes always inevitable? Or did Tatum’s injury alter the thought process?
“I think that the reality is that we knew going into this year, regardless of how it ended, that we were going to have some really hard decisions to make because of the penalties. Because of the way that this apron isn’t where we’ve been the last couple of years,” said Stevens.
“Now in it for two years, and it was the two years that are the least punitive years. Now that it’s fully kicked in, three years after the CBA started. So, that was that was part of making the decision to push and put our chips on the table and go for it the last two years, but we’ve known for a long time that hard decisions were coming, and I think that the agents and players have known that, too. That’s been pretty well communicated. Tatum’s injury certainly is something that we have to consider, but more so, I think it’s about, we’ve still been very focused on, ‘Okay, we’re going to have some change. We have limited tools to bring back the guys like Luke or Al, the guys that we really appreciated being here, and how do we bring in the right people then that have upside that can accentuate Jaylen and Derrick and Payton and Sam, and make sure that we continue to build and grow this thing and put ourselves in position to maximize it?’”
Seven seasons, across two stints, 584 games, 391 wins, and an NBA championship later, it appears Al Horford’s time with the Celtics is coming to an end. As the 39-year-old unrestricted free agent continues to weigh whether — and where — he wants to return for a 19th NBA season, a milestone reached by only 26 players in league history, Stevens doesn’t envision it in Boston.
“I don’t know what I can say about this or not say about it. I mean, we made offers to both Luke and Al. We would’ve loved to have had both of them back. I’d say that’s unlikely,” said Stevens. “The only reason I haven’t talked about Al is because it’s not final. I could probably talk about Al my whole press conference and not say enough. But you know, I don’t want to speak in absolute terms until an ultimate decision is made.”
With Horford likely departing, the Celtics will enter the 2025-26 season with Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, and two-way rookie Amari Williams as their true centers on the roster.
“I think Neemi has a great chance to be impactful here. We’ve always liked Luka Garza from afar, and we think that he has the real physicality that’s necessary on both ends of the floor, especially on the glass, in addition to his ability to score. And then, we got Amari, who’s down there now [at Summer League practice], and we think that he has a high upside,” said Stevens. “
“And then you can flex other guys into that center role. Tillman is more of a four, probably, but he can flex into that center role. And so we’ll have to do that by committee. That will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper, on what they’ve done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position, but it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”
Is this the opening night roster?
With the signings of Garza and Minott now official, the Celtics have filled all 15 standard roster spots and all three two-way slots. Stevens indicated that no further trades are imminent and suggested the team may be done making significant changes this offseason. He also said he’s comfortable with the current roster.
“The reality of the schedule of things is there will probably be some conversations that all 30 teams have in Vegas, but it’s a lot less than around the draft, and a lot less than even around as the moratorium comes to a close,” said Stevens “I’d say who knows what will happen, but as far as us, we’re very comfortable with this group heading into next season.”
As it stands, the Celtics are less than half a million dollars over the second apron. Both JD Davison and Jordan Walsh are on non-guaranteed deals, which could allow Boston to slide under if either is waived.
To get under the luxury tax entirely, the Celtics would need to shed roughly $20 million, and they have until the end of the league year to do so. While there are benefits to avoiding the tax, Stevens reaffirmed that staying under it is not a priority for new majority owner Bill Chisholm. Avoiding the repeater tax penalties requires the Celtics to finish the season below the tax line for two straight seasons.
“There’s value in those things, obviously, and you weigh those values, and the people at the top have to ultimately make those decisions. But it’s been pretty clear, and Bill has been pretty clear from the get-go, that he wants to make sure that we’re prioritizing basketball assets and the ability to retool this thing at the highest level that we can,” Stevens said.
“And, again, the most important acquisition that we’re going to be able to make in the next couple of years is getting Tatum out of the boot, right? Like, we’re not beating that one. So that’s going to be the best thing that can happen for us. But everything else – we have most of our first-round picks still, other than the 2029 one. We have a lot of seconds now, so we have some flexibility there, and we want to – we don’t want to take away our chance to use those to become the best that we can be over the next few years.”
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