On July 9, 2025, Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens addressed the impact of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury on the team’s offseason decisions during a press conference.

“The trades involving Kristaps Porziņģis going to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday heading to the Portland Trail Blazers were driven by the necessity to avoid hitting the punitive second apron, which is set at $207.8 million for the upcoming season. This limit complicates how a team can manage its payroll under the new collective bargaining agreement,” Stevens stated.

He emphasized that the injury was not the sole factor leading to these decisions because the team expected to face difficult choices prior to this event.

Stevens articulated, “We were aware that we would eventually have to make tough decisions due to salary penalties, and this injury only clarified our course of action. Agents and players were informed as well.” He discussed the potential consequences of staying above the second apron, affirming that team dynamics would shift considerably: draft picks would become frozen in trade considerations, limiting future flexibility.

The inevitable nature of these changes suggests Boston was preparing for an overhaul regardless of Tatum’s injury, though it certainly escalated the urgency of those decisions. The aim remains to build a championship-caliber squad around Tatum and his teammate Jaylen Brown while navigating a challenging financial landscape.