Who will take the blame if the Celtics are eliminated 2-4? 231 million yuan salary becomes tight, and the Po God Holiday may be cleaned

On May 17, in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Celtics lost to the Knicks 81-119, and were eliminated 2-4 in the total score. The defending champion stopped in the Eastern Conference semifinals. This year's playoffs pursue "the remaining ones are king", and healthier teams have the last laugh. The Celtics were attacked by injuries, Holiday only played 2 games in the first round due to injury, and his return to the second round was not in his best condition. Brown has been playing with injuries. Porzingis is in a state of sluggish infection. Tatum even suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon in the fourth game and fell down.

Although the Celtics won the fifth game, they were beaten and lost by the Knicks in the sixth game. Jaylen Brown left the game before he finished playing six times. Half the time left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics have replaced the substitute to admit defeat. At the end of the game, Brown sat on the bench, covering his mouth with one hand, his face full of disappointment and frustration. Holiday and Porzingis looked empty on the bench.

The defending champion has fallen, and this summer, they are likely to undergo a major change. After all, Tatum may be reimbursed next season. The Celtics do not have the ability to compete for the championship. It is better to adjust the lineup as soon as possible and make plans for the season after Tatum returns healthy. The two generals who are most likely to be purged by the Celtics are Porzingis and Holiday. Things are unpredictable. In order to win the championship, the Celtics dug up Holiday and Posses, and they also contributed to the Celtics' victory in the 2023-24 season. But now, the Celtics are likely to clean them this summer just to make the salary structure healthier and the team's subsequent development.

Celtics' current players, plus the salary of first-round picks, is expected to reach US$231 million, far exceeding the second-rich line (US$207.8 million). The Celtics' luxury tax is expected to be $263 million (the luxury tax line is $187.8 million). The Celtics will pay a huge luxury tax for every amount of money they spend next. They will pay a player $3 million in annual salary, and they will pay $25 million in luxury tax. The 5-year, $315 million contract renewed by Tatum last summer will be implemented from next season. His annual salary next season is $54.13 million, and Brown's annual salary is $53.14 million. The Celtics' Double Tanhua's salary next season has exceeded US$100 million.

Holiday will earn $32.4 million next season, Porzingis will receive $30.73 million, and Derek White will receive $28.1 million. Obviously, if the team is going to cut wages, Porzingis and Holiday are the best cuts. In the summer of 2025, one or even two of them were probably washed together.

If Porzingis stays healthy, he is really good. But the problem is that he always struggles to stay healthy, and his cost-effectiveness becomes very low. Porzingis played only 57 games in the regular season last season, and only 42 games this year. Porzingis played only seven games in the playoffs last season, averaging only 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. In this year's playoffs, his performance was extremely sluggish due to virus infection. Especially in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Porzingis averaged only 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, shooting 24.0% from the field and 22.2% from the three-point shooting percentage.

Porzingis' contract ended in the summer of 2026, and he is the most likely big-name player in the Celtics. After all, his contract is only one year left, so it is more convenient to trade.

Holiday's contract expires in the summer of 2028, with the total remaining contract amounting to US$104 million in three years. The 34-year-old Holiday has declined a lot this season, averaging only 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the regular season. He helped the team win championships in both the Bucks and the Celtics, and also helped the US men's basketball team win the Olympic gold medal twice. He is an absolute champion defender.

The Celtics may not trade him, after all, some of his value cannot be reflected in the game data. But if the Celtics had to trade him in order to cut their wages, there was nothing we could do about it. I believe that some teams in the league will be interested in this championship guard. After all, if Holiday is not in the Celtics, his shooting rights will increase and the data can be completely better.

Boston this summer is destined to be calm. This summer, Horford, Cornett and Craig’s contracts expire. The Celtics obviously want to keep Horford and Connet. If the Celtics continue to use the Double Tenhua as the cornerstone, then they must adjust the salary of their helpers this summer, and both Posses and Holiday are likely to be cleaned.