Analysis: Tatum s Achilles tendon to tore, Celtics will be forced to make 2 difficult trading decisions

The Celtics could be at risk of being laid off due to a torn Achilles tendon after losing the team's best player Jason Tatum.

Jason Tatum had a tear of Achilles tendon in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, completely changing the Boston Celtics.

Suddenly, the defending NBA championship team lost their best player not only for the rest of the season, but also for most of next season, if not all, which forced the real Eastern Conference giant to face an extremely expensive squad, but with a huge cap lower.

Before Tatum was injured, there were rumors that the Celtics might have destroyed their dynasty as early as this summer. Brian Windhorst noted that Boston's roster is amazingly valuable and team owners may not be willing to pay the fee in the face of future uncertainty.

"What will happen to this team? I didn't expect such a discussion before. Their total salary will reach $460 million next season," Windhorst said. "If they keep the first round pick and fill the roster with draft picks, I don't even know if they can bring Al Horford back, the total amount will be over $500 million."

"The new boss is here, I don't know what will happen, but this team may not be able to regain their strength because they are one of the most expensive teams in sports history. This team proves that they can win the championship, they can win 60 wins in the regular season, but if they can't get out of this series, how can you justify them spending so much money?"

Unfortunately, even if the Celtics finally survived this series, they won't be so much like they did at the beginning of the series that they spent one of the highest NBA money in exchange for a team that was unable to maintain their original level for most of the year. Therefore, the Celtics may make some adjustments in the transfer market, including saying goodbye to some fans’ favorite players and introducing some assets at a low price to fill their vacancy.

1. Ju Holiday

There is no doubt that trading Ju Holiday is the right decision.

Of course, it's expensive to bring in the former Milwaukee Bucks guard, and his career is not destined to be long given his age, but the Celtics have added another championship trophy to their brilliant resume, thanks in large part to Holiday's outstanding performance, and it's hard to say whether that means...even without him, the team will have a hard time replicating the achievement. Holiday is easy to play both offense and defense, can move efficiently with or without balls, and is well versed in winning the championship. After the Milwaukee Bucks succeeded, he came to Boston with this foundation.

34-year-old Holiday has played more than 1,000 regular season games, but his peak form is far away and his data has declined, which has led some to doubt whether the Celtics will trade him to free up more important roles for Derek White and Payton Pritchard.

Will it be difficult for Holiday to leave? Of course, it will definitely make people feel like the championship window is coming to an end, but given Holiday’s achievements, a team like the Phoenix Suns that desperately need a point guard may give up some assets for him, which may help the Celtics be more competitive in the long run.

2. Derek White

From paper, Derek White is harder to get rid of than Holiday because he is just as versatile, White's shooting skills are better and younger, just turned 30 last summer. Having said that, White will likely bring a bigger reward to the Celtics, and if Holiday’s return doesn’t make much change, he might be worth considering some offer.

White initially moved from the San Antonio Spurs, he fits perfectly with the Celtics, performs well with both ball and off, is able to use his ability to switch off to limit the opponent's defenders, and forms arguably the best defensive backcourt in the NBA, which works very effectively with the partners of Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

In a league where the team is still struggling to adapt to the new apron system, White is about to start a four-year $118 million contract that is very favorable to the team, making him easily traded as easy as he joins a new roster.

While saying goodbye to White is more difficult than saying goodbye to any player besides Tatum and Brown, Pritchard's signing of the league's most valuable contract, coupled with the team's financial constraints, may open a door for him. Upstart teams like the Detroit Pistons will pop up and supplement their backfield with a high price to bring in an experienced defender, just like Boston introduced Holiday a few years ago.

Bonus: Al Horford

As Windhorst pointed out in the report, if anyone among the Celtics' core players will be cut this summer, it is Al Horford.

Horford played for two times with the Celtics and is a true legend. Now he is about to turn 39, and unfortunately, he is almost 39 years old. In his first season as the Celtics, Horford performed very well, averaging 29.1 minutes per game, contributing 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. However, as the season passes, Horford's performance is getting worse and worse. He has averaged less than 10 points per game for three consecutive seasons and his playing time is less than 28 minutes.

Since this season's playoffs, Horford has played 9 games, starting in 7 of which, averaging 33 minutes per game. However, as a valuable role player, he averaged only 6.4 shots per game, scoring 7.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks..

Horford is about to become a full free agent this summer, and if the Celtics want to keep him, they need to keep him at the level of a middle-class exception to prove his place on the team. But if the team doesn't want a player who is 40 years old by the 2026 NBA Finals to join the team, Horford may be leaving Boston again.