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The Celtics pulled off one of the most dramatic in-season turnarounds in NBA history, going from below .500, not even qualified for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, to two wins from winning the NBA title.

Now, they have to figure out how to get over that hump. They're already over the luxury tax for next season, and it would be astonishing if that changes. That hamstrings what they can accomplish in free agency. Also, the Derrick White acquisition leaves Boston without a first-round pick entering Thursday's draft. In a 60 player draft, barring a trade, the Celtics aren't on the clock until the No. 53 overall selection.

But Boston has a bevy of trade exceptions and the $6.3 taxpayer mid-level exception at its disposal. Not all of the former will get utilized. But in particular, the $17.1 million trade exception created in the sign-and-trade that sent Evan Fournier to the Knicks, a TPE the Celtics opted to preserve when acquiring White at the trade deadline, will help Boston's efforts to bolster its roster.

While discussing the role the Celtics' traded player exceptions will have in how they retool the roster, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens expressed, "we have a bunch of them. You balance the cost and what does the player you add bring vs. what does he take away. But we're going through the whole list to find guys who fill what we need and how they'll fit in."

Stevens also conveyed how crucial it is for the Celtics to find players who mesh with their identity and fill needed roles for this team.

"It's not about blindly acquiring talent. It's about fitting a team together. We did a pretty good job of that this year. I think we have an ability to take off running next season, because now we have a foundation and understand who we are as a team."

It helps that as the Celtics look to add to their roster, Stevens says, "We've got the ok (from ownership) to do whatever we need to do."

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Doesn't Believe He'll Need Offseason Shoulder Surgery

Celtics Rightfully Hold Their Heads High but Know There's Much Work Needed in Pursuit of Banner 18

Ime Udoka Shares His Message to the Celtics After Finals Run Ends in Defeat

What Stood Out in NBA Finals Game 6: Warriors Outplay Celtics on Both Ends in Championship-Clinching Performance

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Reflect on Personal and Team Growth Through Celtics' Playoff Run

[Film Room] In NBA Finals Game 3, Jaylen Brown Balanced Scoring and Facilitating, Showing How He Can Raise Celtics' Ceiling

The Anatomy of the Celtics' Fourth-Quarter Comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals