Former NBA player Kevin Garnett believes the Boston Celtics need to bring back a key player to the team amid rumors of a potential change to the roster.
Shams Charania revealed the Boston Celtics were a team that would look very different next season, and that is due to them having an expensive roster.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both on max contracts, earning a combined sum of over $100 million themselves.
The likes of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are also on deals that will see Celtics spend at least another $60 million, which leaves the Celtics no option but to offload a few players.
White and Brown have already attracted interest from a few other teams.
Although they are key for the Celtics, the front office might have to make the tough decision of trading them.
However, former NBA champion with the Celtics Kevin Garnett believes there is one player that the front office definitely has to keep next season.
Kevin Garnett believes Kristaps Porzingis is key
Kristaps Porzingis moved to the Celtics in 2023 and was a key part of the team that won the championship.
Although he missed a lot of games in the playoffs due to injury, the Latvian’s ability to stretch the floor and be a presence near the rim have made him a great asset.
Porzingis suffered an illness in the 2024-25 postseason and did not play like his usual self, but Garnett believes the team needs to bring him back next season.
“Man you got to bring Porzingis back,” Garnett said, “Porzingis makes it all unguardable. When Porzingis is in there and everybody is healthy, this year they weren’t healthy at all.”
Porzingis averaged 19 points per game in the regular season and shot the ball 41% from three-point range.
He also averaged 1.5 blocks per game, contributing to the team whenever he was fit, and Garnett believes the team would struggle to replace a player like him.
The Hall of Famer said: “Who you gonna get that Porzingis is doing in this type buzzsaw what he does for the Celtics”
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce believe the Celtics should run it back
Prior to crashing out in the second round of the playoffs, the Celtics were the leading contenders to win it all.
However, an injury to Tatum in Game 4 against the New York Knicks made it difficult for them and they eventually lost to the Knicks in the Conference Semis.
NBA Analysis spoke to Dr. Derek Ochiai to better understand a potential return date for Tatum and he revealed it could be in January 2026 or there is a possibility where the six-time All-Star could also miss all of next season.
With Tatum’s return expected to be assessed as he continues recovering, the Celtics will need all their players to step up.
Their current roster is more than capable of stepping up and proved that in the 2024-25 season when they had an 8-2 record without Tatum on the court.
However, if the front office were to break the team up, they could face a tough year and Garnett believes the roster should be given a chance to play together again.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
“All of them, run the s** back, this is what Danny [Danny Ainge] did dawg, we didn’t get a chance to defend our s***,” said KG when asked who among the current Celtics should the front office keep.
Paul Pierce, who was a teammate of Garnett in the championship-winning roster in 2008, shared the same feeling.
“I wouldn’t be too keen to change, I’ll let the season start and just see how the season go right now. I can’t see where we at without Tatum, I got to see how things are lining up.
“You gotta understand, when you build a culture, you can’t be so quick to trade people to bring people into your kingdom, your tribe,” Pierce said.