The Boston Celtics have already lessened their financial burden by trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
But that won't be enough to save the Celtics entirely from the luxury tax penalties. They still need more payroll to go out the door as Boston's front office takes massive cost-cutting measures with the team's roster.
The Celtics sit just over the second apron at the moment, but a minor move or two will get them easily below that threshold. The question becomes just how far do the Celtics want to cut costs as they are $20.1 million over the luxury tax line, according to MassLive's Brian Robb.
Robb, who reported more moves are coming for the Celtics after talking to league sources, detailed what players could be shipped out of Boston in an effort to continue to trim payroll.
"The obvious path to dumping payroll will be using a combination of Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang and Sam Hauser to make the necessary cuts," Robb wrote. "Two of the three will likely need to go out in deals, unless Boston opts for a blockbuster swap involving one of their core players (Jaylen Brown/Derrick White) that also trims some money. The latter path remains unlikely barring a monster offer from some suitor, but it's still worth monitoring in the coming weeks as Boston deconstructs a large chunk of their title roster."
The Celtics just acquired Simons and Niang this offseason in the deals for Holiday and Porzingis, respectively. Simons being on a $27.7 million expiring contract makes him a prime candidate to be moved while Niang is on a more favorable $8.2 million expiring deal.
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Hauser developed into a success story for the Celtics, going from an undrafted free agent to a knockdown sharpshooter with a key rotation role. But his four-year, $45 million deal kicking in this upcoming season could make him a viable option to be dealt.
Robb noted the Celtics could look to cut bottom-of-the-roster pieces in JD Davison, Jordan Walsh and Xavier Tillman. But that won't be enough if the Celtics are eyeing getting under the luxury tax. And if that's what they truly want, yet another sizable cost-cutting move is on the horizon.
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