Max Shulga left the Celtics organization on September 21, the only transaction of the last day and a half. The bigger loss came earlier: Jaylen Brown, the second name in Boston's most efficient five-man unit from last season, now plays for Philadelphia.
Every one of last season's three best lineups ran through a player who is gone.
Boston's three most efficient units by minutes last season all included Jaylen Brown. The top one, with White, Queta, Pritchard and Hauser, played 200 minutes and outscored opponents by 17.9 points per hundred possessions, the best mark among groups with real playing time. Brown's trade to Philadelphia this summer retires all three.
This month's camp churn is small but has not stopped.
Devin Carter joined the roster September 15; Caleb Grill signed a training-camp deal the day before and left within 24 hours. Shulga's departure on September 21 is the third such move this month, trimming the training-camp group to nineteen players heading into two preseason weeks.
Tatum's own timeline lands before the preseason even starts.
Tatum, day-to-day with a left knee issue, carries an estimated return of October 1, seven days before Boston opens the preseason at Cleveland on October 8. The regular-season opener follows October 20 at Detroit, on NBC and Peacock.
Nothing on record says what replaces Brown's production.
George, acquired in the trade that sent Brown out, has never logged a minute in Boston colors. Camp will build its lineups from nothing. Whether any five-man group approaches 17.9 is the number this roster has yet to answer.
When is Jayson Tatum expected back?
Boston lists him day-to-day with a left knee issue and an estimated return of October 1, before the preseason opener October 8 at Cleveland.
Is Boston over the luxury tax this season?
Yes. Payroll sits at $203.9M against a $200.4M threshold, though still below the $209.0M first apron.
More from The Parquet Report
all Celtics news →
Around the beat · Mon, Sep 21What the Beat Is Debating as Camp Opens
Player focus · Mon, Sep 21What Sixteen Games Told Us About Tatum, and What They Didn't
Morning · Mon, Sep 21A Preseason Schedule Arrives, With Philadelphia Twice On It
The big question · Sun, Sep 20Pritchard's Name Keeps Surfacing. No One Says Why.
From the archives · Sun, Sep 20Two Blueprints for a Banner, and Boston Just Switched Back
Morning · Sun, Sep 20A Return Date Beats the Preseason Calendar