With the NBA offseason winding down, most teams are done adding to their rosters and are focusing on next season. For the Boston Celtics, next season is going to look a lot different than what fans have been accustomed to. Looking at next year's roster, five of their main rotation members from last year will not be with the team.
Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were both traded before the NBA draft, and Luke Kornet signed with the San Antonio Spurs. While Al Horford could technically still return, it seems unlikely, and Jayson Tatum will more than likely miss all of next season recovering from his ruptured Achilles tendon.
That leaves you with rotation spots up for grabs, especially in the frontcourt. Currently, the Celtics have 14 players under contract next season and could still add someone. However, based on the latest report by MassLive's Brian Robb, they will likely leave an open roster spot for the beginning of the season.
Celtics Reportedly Planning to Leave an Open Roster Spot to Begin Season
While some fans may be upset at the news given the thin depth in the team's frontcourt, this is something the Celtics have done in the past two seasons. In each of the two prior seasons, the Celtics started the year with 14 players on the roster and added a 15th player near the end of the season, converting Neemias Queta in 2024 and J.D. Davison in 2025 from two-way deals to standard NBA contracts.
By staying at 14 roster spots, the Celtics also will remain under the second apron for the start of the season, as they are just $1.9 million under it after waiving J.D. Davison's non-guaranteed contract.
Even though the Celtics plan on leaving the spot open for now, they were recently rumored to be interested in Ben Simmons, who has yet to decide on where he'll be playing next season. Summer league standout Charles Bassey is also still searching for an NBA roster spot after it seemed like he was heading overseas to continue his career.
This decision could be upsetting for some fans, but it is a good decision for the team right now as it allows the Celtics more flexibility financially and with the roster. From a financial viewpoint, the team remains under the 2nd apron, which means they don't face any of the penalties from it. This includes not being able to aggregate salaries together and losing your mid-level exception, among others.
When looking at it from a roster-building perspective, you now get more minutes for the younger talent on the team to prove they can handle legit rotation minutes in a season with a lot of playing time up for grabs. You can also see if a team waives someone who you're interested in and would be able to bring them in right away, since you have a spot available.
If the team doesn't find anyone who interests them, then they could always promote a deserving two-guy at the end of the season, as they've done in the prior two seasons.