Did Mike Zarren (Celtics VP of Ops) spill the beans for the C’s going under the 1st apron?
October 14, 2025
Did Mike Zarren (Celtics VP of Ops) spill the beans for the C’s going under the 1st apron?
13 comments
In the pre-season game against the Raptors, Mike Zarren spilled the beans in his sideline chat with Drew and Scal. He said “in order to have the flexibility to put us back to where we were we got back under the second apron and the first apron…(awkward pause)…so… potentially the first apron, and so long term….not talking about right now.”
Mike is the VP of Basketball Ops and is considered the “cap expert” for the Celtics.
Why would he say “getting under the 1st apron, but long term”, when long term we’ll have a fully healthy Tatum and that would be the time to spend?
Just listen to this clip, it sounds like he slipped up then tried to walk it back (twice).
Thoughts?
Getting under the first apron was always gonna be a target to aim for, fans were predicting that even before Tatum got hurt
I mean..yeah we are gunna get under the tax. And trading Simons is the way.
Good, the faster we reset the better.
What are we trying to get at here?
Yeah I don’t think Simons is in the long term plan.
Translation… New ownership won’t afford the previously assembled championship roster. It’s a business first. Money is more important than championships no matter how hard they sell you otherwise. They absolutely could have made all the same past acquisitions. The only limiting factor would have been acquisition cost, aka money.
That has always been the goal for this season. Not really a secret.
I mean yeah the way the tax penalty system is structured there are heavy incentives to reset by staying under the tax two years in a row. If they can do that by jettisoning Simons’ contract they probably should. Things can change quickly in this league. If JT doesn’t come back strong from his injury right away then it could be helpful to have the option to fully reset the tax penalties. Consider me bullish on the team’s future after this year, but championship windows can close before you know it.
I think it’s less about the tax and more about the flexibility.
I don’t think the C’s care about the tax if they are competitive, like in 2024 and 2025.
But being in the 2nd apron not only kills you in tax, it also kills your flexibility, too.
Either Hauser or Simons is going to be gone by the deadline
Celtics fans on Reddit are salary cap fans, not basketball fans. They root for ownerships’ financial flexibility as if it’s their own money at risk. Championships be damned.
13 comments
In the pre-season game against the Raptors, Mike Zarren spilled the beans in his sideline chat with Drew and Scal. He said “in order to have the flexibility to put us back to where we were we got back under the second apron and the first apron…(awkward pause)…so… potentially the first apron, and so long term….not talking about right now.”
Mike is the VP of Basketball Ops and is considered the “cap expert” for the Celtics.
Why would he say “getting under the 1st apron, but long term”, when long term we’ll have a fully healthy Tatum and that would be the time to spend?
Just listen to this clip, it sounds like he slipped up then tried to walk it back (twice).
Thoughts?
Getting under the first apron was always gonna be a target to aim for, fans were predicting that even before Tatum got hurt
I mean..yeah we are gunna get under the tax. And trading Simons is the way.
Good, the faster we reset the better.
What are we trying to get at here?
Yeah I don’t think Simons is in the long term plan.
Translation… New ownership won’t afford the previously assembled championship roster. It’s a business first. Money is more important than championships no matter how hard they sell you otherwise. They absolutely could have made all the same past acquisitions. The only limiting factor would have been acquisition cost, aka money.
That has always been the goal for this season. Not really a secret.
I mean yeah the way the tax penalty system is structured there are heavy incentives to reset by staying under the tax two years in a row. If they can do that by jettisoning Simons’ contract they probably should. Things can change quickly in this league. If JT doesn’t come back strong from his injury right away then it could be helpful to have the option to fully reset the tax penalties. Consider me bullish on the team’s future after this year, but championship windows can close before you know it.
I think it’s less about the tax and more about the flexibility.
I don’t think the C’s care about the tax if they are competitive, like in 2024 and 2025.
But being in the 2nd apron not only kills you in tax, it also kills your flexibility, too.
Either Hauser or Simons is going to be gone by the deadline
Celtics fans on Reddit are salary cap fans, not basketball fans. They root for ownerships’ financial flexibility as if it’s their own money at risk. Championships be damned.
Simons rotations there actually looked good