The Boston Celtics re-signed everybody. Is that a good suggestion?

The Boston Celtics are working it again. In actual fact, they might simply be working it again tougher than any workforce within the final 20 years.

With the singing of Sam Hauser to a four-year, $45 million contract extension on Sunday, the Celtics have now assured that their total championship top-nine will probably be returning for at the least subsequent 12 months. And so far as I can inform, that’s the primary time in at the least the final twenty years that has occurred. I couldn’t even discover a championship top-eight staying intact, not to mention a top-nine.

That’s just about unprecedented, and it’s price questioning if that’s truly a good suggestion. It’s additionally extra price questioning in the event that they actually had a alternative, and probably the most price questioning if it even issues proper now. I’m like 91.2 % positive it’s a good suggestion, however let’s play out all the varied conditions the Celtics have now gotten themselves into and see if we are able to determine it out. Break.

Simply so we’re all on the identical web page: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Vacation, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are all signed for at the least the following 4 years, which is totally insane if you say it out loud. Kristaps Porzingis is underneath contract for the following two, and Al Horford will probably be an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer season, as will Luke Kornet.

That’s the Celtics’ total related rotation. They’re more likely to lose Oshae Brissett to free company, a marginal contributor final 12 months, however retained Xavier Tillman who principally subsumed Brissett’s position within the playoffs. He was significantly efficient in spots within the NBA Finals, that means that — for all intents and functions — the Celtics are principally protecting their top-ten.

Photograph by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Photos

Let’s begin with the enjoyable stuff. That’s superior, that is superior, I like this, you’re keen on this, everybody loves this. These contracts are far more enjoyable than final summer season, which was the unlucky media feeding-frenzy across the Jaylen Brown extension, on the time the richest contract in NBA historical past. It’s not that Celtics followers didn’t just like the contract; most of us cherished it. However none of it tasted as candy because it ought to have coming off a crushing Japanese Convention Finals defeat.

However after profitable the NBA Finals, this offseason has been dipped in a lot Nutella, powdered sugar, and topped with so many strawberries and cream that we’re principally making a 5-year-old’s supreme IHOP order. Every part is inherently superior, backed up by the countless sunshine and lollipops of profitable the NBA Finals. Kornet one-year deal? Epic. Tillman coming again? Spectacular. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum extensions on the identical day?! Somebody arrange one other Duck Boat parade.

Relying on the place you stand on the Official Celtics Love/Hate Spectrum — with “Sixties Los Angeles Lakers Fan” at one finish and “50-12 months Celtics Season Ticket Holder” on the opposite — you’ll most likely see the flurry of extensions dramatically in a different way.

On the constructive finish, the Celtics simply gained the NBA Finals and are going to be the favorites to win it once more on the very least by means of November. When wholesome, they’re the most effective workforce, and whereas the Japanese Convention has improved, it’s not precisely prime LeBron James arriving in Miami to subjugate the convention like some form of morally-depraved sixteenth Century Conquistador, like he did in 2010.

Let’s take inventory: the Milwaukee Bucks are principally the identical, however Giannis Antetokounmpo does nonetheless positively exist. Paul George is now on the Philadelphia 76ers, which doesn’t assure them something however does make them loads higher. Mikal Bridges is now on the New York Knicks, apparently seeking to show that reconstructing a school championship workforce within the NBA is the league’s best-kept secret. Once more, nothing is assured, however they’re additionally higher, which is the objective of groups that suppose they’ve an opportunity.

The novel Celtics positivist would argue that none of these groups even have an opportunity, which I’d argue might be a bit of an excessive amount of powdered sugar. Energy invitations problem, and the remainder of the Japanese Convention wasn’t nearly to fold within the face of a Celtics roster that, on paper, is totally cracked and isn’t going wherever.

The Sixties Lakers followers amongst us will most likely focus much less on the standard of the roster and extra on the completely bananas monetary scenario that is going to place the Celtics in. In 2025-26, as soon as all these extensions kick in, the Celtics will probably be working by-far the very best payroll in NBA historical past, and virtually definitely will probably be going over the NBA’s most-recently-established wage cap boogyman for 2 straight years: “The Second Apron.”

I don’t need to dwell on funds an excessive amount of, because the sensible implications of this newfangled system — invented final offseason to stop overpowered superteams from current — haven’t but had time to play out, however right here’s the upshot. As a result of the Celtics will probably be exceeding a super-high quantity within the luxurious tax twice, they’ll solely be capable of make minute roster modifications; restricted to the veteran minimal, first spherical and second spherical exceptions. Their first spherical decide may also be moved to the tip of the primary spherical.

There was numerous hypothesis about how groups view this “Second Apron,” most of it saying it’s principally the NBA’s fancy model of a tough cap, meant to principally save the homeowners from themselves by offering such a colossal disincentive to overrun the posh tax that no one would do it. Not to mention twice in a row.

Effectively… it looks as if the Celtics are going to do it. No matter settlement Brad Stevens and Wyc Grousbeck have behind the scenes appears to boil right down to “signal everyone no matter penalties after which determine it out later.” By doing so, their roster flexibility is principally zero, which — as long as all the things stays sunshine and lollipops for the following few years — shouldn’t matter.

This assertion is the 8.8 % that scares me. Every part seems to be superior now, however stuff tends to go unsuitable within the NBA, irrespective of how nice all the things would possibly look on paper. Groups have gone all-in, constructed superteams, and flamed out so spectacularly that persons are left questioning if the Brooklyn Nets ought to simply transfer again to New Jersey.

I’ve quoted former Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga many occasions as saying to Brad Stevens, “If we’re not making an attempt to enhance, we’ll cease being good,” as I actually imagine that remaining aggressive is the important thing to not getting handed by. However I take solace within the inevitability of all of it, as a result of what had been the Celtics going to do? NOT re-sign the traditionally nice workforce that simply gained the NBA Finals?

Whether or not or not this may wind up backfiring is a moot level, and it’s most likely much less probably than different financially-hamstrung groups. The Celtics haven’t achieved this quote-unquote superteam by buying and selling draft picks. Their hardships are monetary, not materials, and whomever Grousbeck finally ends up promoting the workforce to will know the scenario they’re moving into. Additionally, if the Celtics need to commerce somebody with a purpose to get underneath the Second Apron if issues go sideways, then will probably be a superb factor since… you understand, issues have gone sideways.

Seneca the Youthful mentioned {that a} man who suffers earlier than it’s vital suffers greater than is critical. When issues are going effectively, we could as effectively simply guess on them persevering with to go effectively relatively than freaking out a few yet-realized future. And for now, I select to eat the 5-year-old IHOP breakfast.