The Boston Celtics have largely run the Eastern Conference this decade.
They’ve won 50-plus games in five straight seasons, made the 2022 NBA Finals and then won the title in 2024, the franchise’s first in 16 years to cap off a rebuild that didn’t stay down for very long.
But the way this offseason has played out makes it seem that the Celtics may no longer be the bosses of the East.
The New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought by bringing home their own title.
The Miami Heat, who have been wandering in the wilderness that is being a consistent play-in tournament competitor, beat out the Celtics for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in his exit from Milwaukee.
Because Boston reportedly dangled Jaylen Brown — fresh off a sixth-place finish in NBA MVP voting — as a trade chip to try and land the Greek Freak, it seems to have effectively ended Brown’s desire to stay with Boston.
And so, the Celtics wound up bolstering another contending Eastern Conference team, the Philadelphia 76ers, by sending them Brown in exchange for aging star Paul George and two first-round picks, neither of which they’ll be able to use until 2028.
Need I remind you all that Brown — not Jayson Tatum, who Boston chose over him — was the Celtics’ NBA Finals MVP in 2024. With Tatum sidelined for much of last season after tearing his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs, Brown had the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all career bests.
But even though this core had already won a title and Brown remains firmly in his prime at 29 years old, the Celtics elected to move him.
In return, the Celtics got a nine-time All-Star in George, albeit seemingly far removed from that form. Now 36, George played no more than 41 games in each of his two seasons with the Sixers. He’s played more than 56 games once in the last seven seasons, battling a rash of injuries.
He’s no longer the six-time All-NBA player he once was.
To supplement their roster, the Celtics signed former Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47 million deal, veteran guard Mike Conley to a one-year deal and Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year deal.
They also signed center Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension after he averaged 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds last season, his first as a starter.
All of these moves should help the Celtics to varying degrees. They’re not going to suddenly stop being a perennial playoff team.
But that’s not the standard for a franchise that has 18 NBA title banners hanging in its arena’s rafters. And it feels weird coming off a season where they overachieved in the regular season compared to somewhat lower expectations, which they largely did because of Brown.
The Celtics are betting on their development, that guys like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Queta take the next step.
It’s worked for them before. But it’s a bold choice which could age poorly, considering they had a pretty good thing going.
