There’s a very good chance the Boston Celtics look very different next season.<\/p>\n
The Celtics need to trim at least $20 million in salary<\/a> this summer if they want to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax<\/a> and avoid punitive roster-building penalties. And with Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season while recovering from Achilles surgery<\/a>, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens may look to accomplish that goal by trading multiple core players.<\/p>\n Of course, who gets moved depends on what the return package looks like for each player. Which begs the question: Who are the Celtics’ most valuable trade assets?<\/p>\n On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s\u00a0The Off C’season\u00a0special, ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks ranked the Celtics’ top five players (excluding Tatum) based on their trade value this offseason.<\/p>\n Here’s his “pecking order,” which factors in each player’s age and contract status:<\/p>\n Derrick White<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown<\/p>\n Sam Hauser<\/p>\n Jrue Holiday<\/p>\n Kristaps Porzingis<\/p>\n White over Brown — a four-time All-Star and NBA Finals MVP — is surprising at first glance. But White is on a much more favorable contract (four years, $118 million) than Brown (five years, $285 million) and has blossomed into one of the league’s best two-way players, shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range last season while leading all guards in blocked shots.<\/p>\n