Stop me if you've heard this before. The Boston Celtics are going to be as active as any team in the NBA this summer as they look to reshape their roster.
Yes, this is a subject that has been covered ad nauseam since the Celtics were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoffs. Nothing about the team's need to shed salary while figuring out how to navigate the future following the Achilles injury suffered by Jayson Tatum this past month.
What is new, however, is that one of Boston's division rivals is going to be open for business and could be the trade partner Brad Stevens is desperately looking for. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Toronto Raptors are looking to add a big name this offseason, which, at the very least, opens the door for negotiations between the two sides to take place.
Toronto Emerges As Possible Trade Partner For Boston This Summer
"I don't want to get too far afield from this, but since this has come up, the Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise within the league about looking for a big fish," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective Podcast.
Would the Raptors' front office be open to doing business with the Celtics? That remains to be seen. Boston has big-name players available, though, and if Toronto wants a talent of that caliber badly enough, then one would think any hesitancy they may have trading within the division would be left by the wayside.
Kristaps Porznigis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and even Jaylen Brown have been included in rumors one way or another since the 2024-25 campaign came to a close. It seems like a given that, at least, one of those players will not be back in Boston next season. We'll find out soon enough what their respective futures will be as the NBA offseason moves closer to beginning.