Save 238 million US dollars! The Celtics quickly sold Holiday Pope, and the trading storm began

Brad Stevens showed a cold and iron-fisted side. With Tatum expected to be reimbursed next season and the team will find it difficult to compete for the championship, he quickly cut the mess and quickly traded two champions Holiday and Porzingis to significantly reduce the Celtics' salary expenditure and luxury tax next season. The Celtics opened a supermarket and the sell-off of the players is not over yet. The next player who may be traded is pitcher Hauser. Through the trade, the Celtics won Anthony Simmons, Nion and three second-round picks. They also plan to do some work on the draft picks, strive to trade the draft picks upwards, and get their favorite goals in the draft. In less than 24 hours, the Celtics sent Holiday and Porzingis away one after another. According to payroll expert Jossi Gozlan, the Celtics saved a total of $238 million through the two deals, including $210 million in luxury tax penalty. Currently, the total salary on the book of the Celtics is lower than the second richest line of $4.5 million. The significance of these two transactions in the Celtics is to save money, but in fact it also achieved good returns. Anthony Simmons, 26, averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 0.9 steals last season, shooting 42.6% from the field, 36.3% from three-pointers, 90.2% from free throws, and averaged 3.1 three-pointers per game.

Simmons has a career three-point shooting percentage of 38.1%, and averages 2.5 three-pointers per game. He is a defender with outstanding shooting ability and is very consistent with the Celtics' offensive system. After all, Celtics coach Mazula advocates three-point shooting. Since Tatum is likely to be reimbursed next season, the Celtics need a scorer to come forward and share the offensive pressure for Jaylen Brown and Derek White, so it is necessary to introduce Simmons.

Although the Celtics have no hope of winning the championship next season, the team still hopes to make the playoffs and try to go further. Nian is a small forward with superb shooting skills. Last season, he played for the Cavaliers and the Hawks, playing a total of 79 games, averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, shooting percentage of 46.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 40.6%, free throw percentage of 79.3%, and averaging 2.1 three-point shooting percentage of 2.1. Nian's career three-point shooting percentage is 39.9%. When we came to the Celtics, with Nion's three-point firepower, we deserved a lot of room to play. With Simmons and Nyan coming, the Celtics' three-point firepower next season may still be at the top level of the league.

Stevens's quick knife to cut the mess has been recognized by many American media reporters. Kevin O'Connor said: "Brad Stevens lowered the team's total salary to the second-large line in a surprisingly clean and neat way. This could have been much more complicated than it actually is. The Celtics' management did a good job." NBA journalist Adam Himsbach said he was told that the Celtics were satisfied with the two necessary deals, but the team was generally depressed because they traded two players who helped the team win the championship.

Holiday and Porzingis both made great contributions to the Celtics' 2023-24 season championship. Holiday in the playoffs and defense were integrated, and averaged 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the finals, shooting percentage of 53.6%, three-point shooting percentage of 42.1%, and free throw shooting percentage of 100%. Porzingis was injured in the first round of the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, but he returned in the finals, making the Celtics' inside advantage. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and shot 58.3% from the field.

It's a pity that in the 2024-25 season, Holiday and Porzingis were both plagued by injuries, the Celtics' combat effectiveness was weakened, and the Celtics were eventually eliminated by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and Tatum also suffered a severe injury from a ruptured Achilles tendon. The Celtics are destined to be unable to compete for the championship next season, and the team's blood exchange will inevitably be avoided this summer.

Stevens sent Holiday and Porzingis away without any hesitation. However, Holiday was a little dissatisfied with the Celtics' approach because the Bucks did not inform him in advance. Holiday hopes to get treatment with advance notice, after all, he has won the championship for the Celtics. However, the Celtics management simply did not inform Holiday in advance and traded it to a team he didn't want to go to. For Holiday, if you want to be traded, you will definitely want to go to a competitive team or go to a big city. However, the Celtics traded him to a rebuilt weak brigade like the Trail Blazers.

The Celtics' trading wave is not over yet, and they are still discussing the deal for wing player Hauser. Hauser had previously signed a four-year, $45 million contract with the Celtics, and there are three seasons left on the contract. Hauser played 71 games in the 2024-25 season, averaging 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Hauser's performance in the playoffs was disappointing, his shooting ability was not displayed, and he had defensive shortcomings. Haoser is no longer in the Celtics' future plans. Moreover, the Celtics wanted to save money further and free up some room to renew Horford and Connett, so trading Hauser became inevitable. In addition, famous reporter Charanie reported that the Celtics prefer not to trade Jaylen Brown and Derek White, but listening to the offer they are getting now forced to negotiate the deal. Have these quotes achieved their due value? This is the current problem. The Celtics will have many potential operations, and the current transaction is just the beginning. "Many teams are interested in Jaylen Brown. His contract is very large. I understand, but you also understand the NBA today. Not only the Eastern Conference teams, but also the Western Conference. The Western Conference has been engaged in arms races. Think about what if you are a team that has just reached the threshold of the playoffs, what will you do if you want to go further. I think we will see that the Eastern Conference teams will do a lot of operations." Chalanie said.

This means that the Celtics are going to hear quotes about Jaylen Brown and Derek White, and if a team is willing to give high chips, Celtics President Stevens may still pull the trigger for the trade. In addition, journalist Steve Bulpet reported that the Celtics are trying to trade for a lottery draw because the team wants to get defender Yakujonis. Yakuchonis is 1.96 meters tall and can play in two positions: point guard and shooting guard. He averaged 31.8 minutes per game at the University of Illinois, scoring 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists, shooting percentage of 44.0%, three-point shooting percentage of 31.8%, and free throw shooting percentage of 84.5%. His NBA template is Lakers guard Reeves.

In short, the Celtics' trading storm is not over yet, and they will further adjust their lineup this summer. As of now, the Celtics traded with Holiday and Posses, and their purpose of saving money has been achieved.