Injured Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will miss playing with Jrue Holiday in the backcourt and Kristaps Porziņģis helping out around the rim. Tatum sent parting messages to both players following Boston's trades with the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks.

Between salary and luxury taxes, the Celtics were on pace to spend almost $500 million in payroll for next season. That was untenable, especially for a team that no longer feels like a legit title contender. Boston's new owner, Bill Chisholm, does not want to lose money on the team he just bought for $6 billion.

Based on his track record, Porzingis was truly a luxury for Boston, which had the depth to survive his absences the past two seasons. (Porzingis played just 57 games in 2023-24.) With the repeater tax kicking in, plus the limitations imposed by the second apron, Porzingis was expendable in pursuit of a more balanced cap sheet.