BOSTON —
The Boston Celtics are looking ahead to an offseason that could be full of big changes after their season ended in disappointment.
The team won a championship together and had the ability to win multiple titles, but after the collapse this year, the makeup of the team will almost certainly change.
By his own admission, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the reality is the Celtics blew the first two games against the New York Knicks, giving up 20-point leads in both games.
Now, the Celtics are looking at next season without an injured Jayson Tatum, new ownership on the horizon and a payroll that has to change to avoid tax penalties from the new collective bargaining agreement.
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Tatum could be watching most of next season from the sidelines as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, which ended his playoff run early. Stevens said the injury is taking a mental toll on the six-time NBA All-Star.
“He loves to play, and I think even missing two games has been grueling for him, and so we know that there’s a long road ahead and that there’s going to be several steps that he’ll have to take before he ultimately gets back out on the court,” Stevens said.
Stevens said the team has a great group of guys, including head coach Joe Mazzulla. He said changes are needed to win it all again, but it could be a few weeks before it’s known what those changes are going to look like.
The Celtics have the 28th and 32nd overall picks at the NBA draft, which will air June 25 on WMUR. It’s possible the team could make some trades to move up higher in the draft.