The end of the Double Tanhua era? Sky-high salary + serial injuries, Celtic formation may be disintegrated overnight

Tatum return? Will the Double Tanhua destroy the team? Will Holiday, White and Porzingis leave the team? Is Horford going to retire? The answer is unknown...

This Celtics are about to usher in their most turbulent summer...

Sky-high salary crushed the Celtics: The fatal dilemma of the most expensive lineup in NBA history

With the 2024-25 season salary chart exposed, the Celtics became the first team in the league to have a total salary of $231 million (20 million over the second tyrant line) and a surprising data of $263 million in luxury taxes. Behind this luxury bill is the super contract superposition effect of core players such as Tatum (315 million in 5 years), Brown (304 million in 5 years), Holiday (135 million in 4 years), White (126 million in 4 years). What's even more fatal is that the new version of the labor-capital agreement has completely lost its operating flexibility for the Super Luxury Team.

If the existing lineup is maintained, the team's total expenditure in the 2025-26 season will exceed $500 million (salary + luxury tax), directly breaking the luxury tax record maintained by the Warriors. The silence of the new boss has shown his attitude-there is no capital willing to pay a sky-high bill for a lineup that cannot defend its title.

Injury series: Double Tanhua's serious injury became the fuse for the team demolition

When Tatum fell to the ground without any confrontation in the Eastern Conference semi-finals G4 and was diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Celtics' championship window was closed. The 27-year-old core's 9-12-month recovery period means direct reimbursement next season. What's even more cruel is that Jaylen Brown's partially torn meniscus on his right knee was exposed - he actually played in the full playoffs with the torn meniscus, resulting in a career-low 44.1% shooting percentage. Medical experts warn: Forced combat may cause sequelae such as osteoarthritis.

Double Tanhua fell down at the same time, coupled with Porzingis' chronic disease (only 42 games in the regular season) and Holiday's unhealed hamstring injury, the defending champion's lineup was instantly riddled with holes. Ironically, the deep advantage that the team was praised for when they won the championship last year has now become a joke due to injuries to all members.

Countdown to the Great Purge: Who will become a victim?

Management has long predicted the crisis - long before Tatum was injured, the internal meeting made it clear that the existing lineup was unsustainable. Now the two core injuries have accelerated the restructuring process:

1. The person who must leave:

Holiday & Porzingis Holiday (34.9 million annual salary): At the age of 34, he still has defensive value, but a hamstring injury + a high salary has become the best bargaining chips. The Jazz, Spurs and other reconstruction teams are eyeing each other. The Celtics may follow the Warriors' operation of sending Iguodala away and make a draft pick to clear the space.

Porzingis (30 million annual salary): Glass attribute + playoff stealth performance made him a negative asset. The only advantage is that the contract expires in 2026 may be used to exchange for expired garbage contracts.

2. Edge of Danger:

White & Horford White (31.5 million)'s balance of offense and defense should be non-selling, but if you want to reduce your salary and maintain your combat effectiveness, trading is the most painful choice. Although Horford (9 million) is cost-effective, his age and physical strength are difficult to support long-term planning.

3. Ultimate conjecture: moving double-Tanhua?

Although management publicly declares that Double Tanhua is not a seller, Brown's contract of 236 million yuan in the next four years has become a burden. If Tatum's recovery is not smooth, rumors about trading Brown for Antetokounmpo/Embidext may come true - after all, many teams in the league still covet the impact of the 28-year-old All-Star.

Team demolition roadmap: Salary cuts and combat power to maintain or completely defeat?

Celtics face two paths:

Route A: minor repairs and supplements (50 million salary cuts +)

Trading Holiday + Positives, exchange for 1-2 expiration contracts + second round picks

Persuading White to reduce salary renewal

Risk: That is, combat power declines, and it may fall out of the championship ranks

Route B: Complete reconstruction (100 million salary cuts +)

Send Brown + Holiday + Poly God away, swallow multiple garbage contracts

Resume around Tatum (after recovery) + newcomers to restart

Risk: Losing market appeal, falling into the quagmire of the middle

Historical lessons and future bets

Warriors Dynasty has approached the 500 million expenditure red line many times, but it stopped the bleeding in time by giving up operations such as Poole and Wiggins. On the other hand, the Celtics bet on Holiday & waves of God has laid the root of disaster. Now they are paying off their debts for the champions - the NBA's salary rules are essentially punishing long-term monopoly success.

The more profound impact lies in Tatum's career: a ruptured Achilles tendon destroyed Kobe's final peak, and Durant continued his legend by projection transformation. Whether the Celtics ace can develop a more efficient jump shot system will determine the fate of Boston in the next five years.

From winning the championship in 2023 to disintegration in 2025, the Celtics used bloody cases to prove that the cost of the dynasty of the modern NBA is far beyond imagination. When management began to answer inquiry calls from other teams, the green era of Double Tanhua might have quietly entered the countdown.