The God of Boston waves goodbye to Boston, behind the Celtics deal is a big chess game

NBA transfer market is in turmoil again! Our Celtics teamed up with the Hawks and the Nets to make a three-party deal. Core content? Our champion inside player Kristaps Porzingis was sent to the Atlanta Hawks. As soon as the news came out, Bo Shen himself quickly spoke out on social media. The passage he wrote made people feel warm and a little uncomfortable: Boston always occupies a special position in my heart. Thank you sincerely to the management, the coaching staff, all the staff, my brothers (teammates) and the best fans! A first-class team, I will always be grateful! ”

The words are true feelings between the lines. Think about last summer (June 2023), Bo Shen put on a green jersey through a three-party transaction (Wizards → Celtics). Although it has not been long, we fans can see his contribution in the championship last season. His height, projection and frame protection have helped a lot at critical moments. Now seeing him leave with gratitude, the friendship is recognized by the Celtics fans!

Why do you want to trade heroes? The carefully calculated Celtics chess game broke the heroes just after winning the championship last season? Many fans must have the first reaction to reluctance and doubt. But the NBA is a business world after all, especially under the strict luxury tax rules. Look at the salary expert Yossi Gozlan’s revelation: The Celtics sent away the Posses and Ju Holiday who had traded before, in exchange for Anthony Simmons and Nian. One of the core purposes of this wave of operations is to save money! Save a lot of money!

It is reported that the sending away the Possesses alone helped the team reduce the luxury tax and fine of nearly $210 million! Coupled with the accumulated savings from previous operations, the Celtics saved a total of $238 million in this transfer window so far. What’s more important is that the team’s total salary has successfully dropped below the “second tyrant line”, and it is still about $4.5 million lower.

Save sky-high taxes, what is the picture? From the perspective of fans, this transaction must have fluctuations in emotions. But think about it calmly, the management is quite smart:

1. Long-term flexibility: saving astronomical luxury tax is only the first step. Avoiding the "second tyrant line" (super luxury tax line) means that the team will be subject to hard restrictions (such as signing amount, transaction balance rules) when signing free agents, trading operations, and even renewing the existing core in the future. This has laid the groundwork for maintaining competitiveness in the next few years and even upgrading the lineup again.

2. Lineup younger and adaptive: Anthony Simmons is a young defender with great potential, while Nian is a practical forward shooter. This is in line with President Stevens' idea of ​​building a more dynamic and more projective lineup in the past two years. Although the role of the Pope God is unique, the team may have longer-term considerations in health management and tactical adaptability.

3. Calm adjustment after the championship: winning the championship is not the end. The smart management understands that if you want to last forever, you must find a balance between emotion and reason. Leaving all the heroes often means that the future is locked by huge contracts and loses room for adjustment. This deal is a strategic adjustment made by the Celtics to calmly defend the future after enjoying the glory of the championship.

Goodbye Po, hello future! Poison, thank you for your efforts and sweat for Boston's 18th Championship! Your thanks, Boston and Celtics fans have also received it, and this is always one of your homes. Your championship contribution has been written into the history of the Celtics.

At the same time, as fans, we also understand and (with a hint of complexity) support the management's decision. Save sky-high tax burden, avoid strict local tyrant line restrictions, and exchange for young assets. This is all for one goal: to let the flames of the Green Dynasty burn longer! I believe Brad Stevens and his team are carefully planning for next season and even further future.

This deal is not the end, it is likely just the beginning of the Greens' actions this summer. Let's look forward to the management's subsequent operations to see what a new chapter will be brought to North Shore Garden in the end! Go Celtics!