The Boston Celtics have had a disappointing offseason, and their only chance to redeem themselves may have just gone up in the air. The Celtics have a $27.6 million trade exception from the Anfernee Simons trade.
That means they can acquire a player without having to trade another player in return. However, they are only $4 million below the second apron and are hard-capped due to the Mitchell Robinson signing. Simply put, they can't use their full trade exception unless they shed salary.
The Celtics can't use their best trade asset
Boston not being able to use that exception underscores their questionable offseason. Sure, they got Robinson from the Knicks to help bolster their front court, but they gave up Jaylen Brown to an arch rival.
Worse yet, by trading Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, that was the tipping point that landed the Sixers LeBron James. Now Philly looks like the best team in the Eastern Conference, having surpassed both the New York Knicks and the Celtics.
Boston created that monster and will have to suffer the consequences next season. Odds are, they are going to finish below their 56-26 record from last season. They have that trade exception in their back pocket, but they likely aren't going to be able to use it.
The Celtics' offseason has made them worse, not better
After striking out on Giannis Antetokounmpo, that seemed to be the turning point of the Celtics' offseason. After all, they included Brown in trade talks, and things seemed to go south from there.
Even after having him on the trade block, the best they could apparently manage was the deal in which they received Paul George and two first-round picks. That's not exactly a great return for a player that finished fifth in MVP voting last season.
Worst yet, they didn't shed enough salary in the trade to use their trade exception. Now their best trade asset to improve their team is unusable.
Fortunately for the Celtics, they still have Jayson Tatum and can rely on him, Derrick White, and Peyton Pritchard to help carry the offense. However, it's safe to say that Boston hasn't had the offseason that many fans hoped for.
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