The ending wasn't befitting of the defending NBA champions.
But sometimes, you don't get to write your own conclusion. The Jaylen Brown-led Boston Celtics bowed out of the postseason at the hands of a New York Knicks shellacking on Friday night. With no Jayson Tatum, Boston couldn't buy a basket, and from midway through the second quarter on, never really had a chance.
The Celtics now head into an offseason they never expected to have. The Tatum torn Achilles was a shock to all the organization's systems.
If everyone had ended the season healthy, Boston could refine the edges, maybe move on from either an aging Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis, and run it back with the two Jays.
But with no Tatum for likely the entirety of 2025-26, the math changes.
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Boston could likely make the playoffs with the rest of its core next season and even advance a round into the postseason, but the Celtics as presently constructed can't win a title without Tatum.
That means, probably, it's time to look ahead to 2026-27. What's the best way to have the best team in that season and beyond?
Many in the league are already suggesting that a trade of Brown should be on the table.
Moving Brown won't be easy, given that he's one of the NBA's most expensive players.
But if the Celtics can get a younger and cheaper talent (Cooper Flagg, anyone?), it's something they've got to consider.
The irony would be that Brown and Tatum finally figured things out. After so many offseasons of questions about whether they could play with one another, they got their championship.
This season was supposed to be the encore, but then they got ice cold, and then Tatum got hurt, and then it was over.
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The Celtics could very well keep Brown around and have a good chance down the line with the Tatum-Brown pairing that will still be very effective.
But for the first time in a while, they've got to consider the idea of moving on from one of their superstars.
The Celtics have to play the long game, not the short game. It's the best way to maximize the future Hall of Famer, Tatum.
Whether Brown remains in that picture or not is the biggest question Boston faces over the next few months.
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