Brad Stevens Gives Honest Thoughts on Celtics’ Sale & Luxury Tax Penalties

Bobby Krivitsky | Sep 24, 2024

Oct 2, 2023; Boston, Celtics, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens talks during Boston Celtics Media Day. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics will have a championship-caliber roster for the next few seasons. However, keeping that core together will come at a literal high cost. It means that, unless the Celtics cut some severe costs, they will pay a lot in luxury taxes along with the penalties that come with crossing the NBA’s second tax apron.

During Celtics Media Day, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens talked about how the Celtics will approach their luxury tax situation. He understands that paying that much is not easy.

"With the new CBA and the penalties that are associated with it...I think that those are all things that we have to be super aware of...And yes, there are some real challenges that will come with that."

These new limitations will impact the Celtics’ abilities to add to their roster both in the short and long-term, like not being able to aggregate contracts in trades and first-round picks being frozen. It hasn’t been a problem yet, but the Celtics’ impending sale could impact how they handle their team going forward.

Stevens admitted that “it’s out of our hands” and that “plans don’t always go the way you want them to,” but he also revealed what the Grousbecks have told him.

“We need to just keep doing what we’re doing, and business as usual, and do what you can to build the best team that we can and see what happens from there.”

It remains to be seen if the Celtics’ upcoming sale will impact whether they keep their expensive core together in the coming years. Since the formula has proven to be just as successful as they could have hoped, the penalties may not matter to them currently, but it could be sometime down the line.

Further Reading

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