Why Celtics should avoid a Jaren Jackson Jr. trade despite rumors – NBC Sports Boston
JB
NBC Sports Boston Insider Chris Forsberg joins Trenni Casey and Kayla Burton to discuss the C’s rise to the second seed in the East. Plus, Boston is said to have rumored interest in Clippers center Ivica Zubac. Forsberg also drops a Jayson Tatum return date…
The Boston Celtics will spend the next month linked to every available player 6-foot-10 or taller. But even if the Memphis Grizzlies were willing to consider offers for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., it’s hard to see how the Celtics could afford the long-term splurge.
A report this week in the Hardwood Paroxysm newsletter suggested the Celtics have long held interest in Jackson Jr., whom the Grizzlies could entertain moving as part of a bigger teardown that should start with a Ja Morant trade.
The Celtics could put together a package built around Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, and draft picks to get into any Jackson Jr. sweepstakes, but the long-term financial implications make a swap seem unlikely.
Jackson is making $35 million this season (22.6 percent of the cap) before his salary balloons to an average of $50.5 million over the next three seasons. Even if the Celtics were able to stomach that number this season, it becomes basically untenable moving forward.
For the 2026-27 season, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will combine to earn $115.6 million. Add in Jackson’s $50 million and Derrick White’s $30.3 million salary, and the Celtics are at nearly $200 million in total salary for four players next season.
Projected Celtics Payroll
Active Celtics player contracts (in millions) through the 2026-27 season. Green text denotes a new addition. Updated through Jan. 2*
| 2025-26 | 2026-27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | $54.1 | $58.5 |
| Jaylen Brown | $53.3 | $57.1 |
| Derrick White | $28.1 | $30.3 |
| Anfernee Simons | $27.7 | UFA |
| Sam Hauser | $10.0 | $10.8 |
| Payton Pritchard | $7.2 | $7.8 |
| Chris Boucher | $3.3 | UFA |
| Hugo Gonzalez | $2.8 | $2.9 |
| Luka Garza | $2.7 | $2.8 |
| Baylor Scheierman | $2.6 | $2.7 |
| Josh Minott | $2.5 | $2.5 |
| Xavier Tillman | $2.5 | UFA |
| Neemias Queta | $2.3 | $2.7 |
| Jordan Walsh | $2.2 | $2.4 |
| Ron Harper Jr. | 2-Way | 2-Way |
| Max Shulga | 2-Way | 2-Way |
| Amari Williams | 2-Way | 2-Way |
| TOTAL | $201.3 | $180.5 |
| Salary cap | $154.6 | $165.0 |
| Luxury tax | $187.9 | $200.0 |
| 1st apron | $195.9 | $209.0 |
| 2nd apron | $207.8 | $222.0 |
Boston would be launching back above the second apron after swallowing hard to get off of it this past summer. The Celtics would still have to navigate pesky repeater tax penalties that would drive the total cost of this roster to the moon, and leave no pathway to resetting those penalties without moving on from at least one of those core pieces.
The Celtics obviously need to figure out what the next iteration of a championship-contending frontcourt looks like, particularly after moving on from Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet this past summer.
Neemias Queta has performed beyond expectations as Boston’s starting big man and Luka Garza has reinvigorated the bench since his return to the rotation in late December. Still, the big-man position -- and size in general -- is Boston’s greatest area of need, even if Tatum will add some much-needed size and rebounding whenever he’s back on the floor.
Jackson Jr.’s defensive pedigree is intriguing, as is his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end. He’s still only 26 years old. The downsides: His rebounding is underwhelming (5.6 per game this season and only one season with 6-plus rebounds per game) and he can be a bit of a foul magnet.
Ultimately, it’s the price tag that poses the biggest challenge, as well as the draft capital that you’d have to expend to land a player like Jackson Jr.
Taking on that sort of salary makes it vital to have a steady stream of low-cost draftees coming into the program, and Boston would have to mortgage much of that future as well as basically all of its flexibility.
CeltsSteve
Precisely. And keep in mind the looming extensions for both Pritchard and Queta.
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