Celtics Rumors: Rival Exec Gets Brutally Honest About Roster

When six-time All-Star Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon during the team's eventual second-round playoff series defeat to the New York Knicks, it represented the end of a brief two-year era for the franchise.

In the 2023 offseason, Celtics general manager Brad Stevens brought in two key starters around All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum: All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday and former All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis.

All-Defensive guard Derrick White rounded out Boston's expected starting five, augmented off the bench by former five-time All-Star big man Al Horford, future Sixth Man of the Year guard Payton Pritchard, and sharpshooting swingman Sam Hauser.

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Third-string center Luke Kornet and fourth-string center Neemias Queta saw some spot minutes, too.

With Tatum expected to miss most or even all of the 2025-26 season recovering, Stevens decided to effectively break apart that core and save some coin.

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Porzingis, Holiday and Kornet are all gone, while Horford appears to be looking for an exit.

Now, the Celtics' center rotation has been decimated.

Queta will be joined by new minimum signings Luka Garza and Chris Boucher. Boucher and Queta could be competing to replace Porzingis as Boston's new starting center.

Free agent forward Chris Boucher has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation tells ESPN. Boucher lands a guaranteed deal with the Celtics and is expected to have a significant role in the frontcourt. pic.twitter.com/H13dHVyuu8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 5, 2025

Now, a rival executive has held nothing back in his appraisal of Boston's new-look roster — specifically when it comes to the integration of Boucher.

Boston's Center Rotation Could Be A Problem

“(Boucher) is a really good, active player who you can use in stretches,” a rival Eastern Conference general manager told Sean Deveney of Athlon Sports. “He’s always been someone we liked, but as a bench guy, an energy guy. But when you look at what they have right now, that roster is out of whack."

“No one knows where they’re going with this, but the thing about Boucher is, he finally gives them an actual NBA player in the frontcourt," the GM continued. "They do not have many of those right now.”

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Garza and Queta were essentially part-time players on their respective squads last season (Garza had been on another contending club, the Minnesota Timberwolves).

Could Boucher have the inside track on the starting role? Time will tell, but even he represents a significant performative downgrade from Porzingis and even the current, diminished Horford.

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