Celtics Will Be Limited in Options on Buyout Market Due to Salary Issues

The Boston Celtics were not very active at the trade deadline. That was expected because their roster is already pretty well put together.

There weren't many options out there for them that could have significantly improved their roster. The Celtics are pretty cash-strapped, and they would have had to match salaries exactly to get any players in return in any trade.

Boston only made one move at the deadline. They decided to trade Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a second-round pick.

That helped dump some salary and alleviate what will be a very expensive luxury tax bill in the offseason. Because the Celtics are in the second apron, they weren't able to find any players who could help them make a run at repeating as champs.

The Celtics will be very limited in what they can do in the buyout market as well. Because they are in the second apron, they won't be able to get any players in the buyout market.

Potential buyout candidates with salaries above the $12.8 million mid-level:

Malcolm Brogdon
Bruce Brown
Ben Simmons
Bojan Bogdanovic

The Celtics, Nuggets, Lakers, Bucks, Wolves, Knicks, and Suns wouldn't be able to sign these players since they're above the first apron.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) February 6, 2025

The Celtics do have an open roster spot because of the Springer trade. They will likely use that by signing a player to a minimum contract or by converting a two-way player's contract into a fully guaranteed deal.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Celtics still have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA when everyone is healthy.

Jayson Tatum is still playing at an All-NBA level. Jaylen Brown has started to play better as of late, as well.

More Celtics news: Celtics Legends Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce Believe Luka Doncic Can be 'New Ohtani' For Lakers

Perhaps the biggest issue for Boston is not what they can do with their roster, but what other teams in the East were able to do. A lot of other teams got better at the trade deadline.

Both Cleveland and Milwaukee got better by adding solid players. Boston currently holds just a 1.5-game lead on the Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Still, they remain not worried about the future prospects. The Celtics should still be able to make a deep run into the playoffs when April rolls around.

More Boston Celtics news: Former Celtics Star Announces Life-Saving Kidney Transplant

Where Do Celtics Stand in Eastern Conference Following Trade Deadline?

For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.