Boston's 56-26 season last year produced a top-four offense and defense and a payroll of $203.9M against a $200.4M tax line. Those figures describe the team Boston was, not the one that takes shape once George and Tatum share the court together for the first time in October.
The tax bill arrived before training camp did.
Boston's payroll sits at $203.9M across 17 contracts, past the $200.4M luxury tax line and within reach of the $209.0M first apron. That number was built for a roster that no longer matches the one reporting to camp, since the summer's biggest move sent Jaylen Brown out for Paul George.
Last season's best lineup will not take the court again.
The five-man group of Brown, White, Queta, Pritchard and Hauser posted a net +17.9 across 200 minutes in 35 games last season, built on a 122.6 offense and a 104.7 defense. Brown is in Philadelphia now, part of the trade that brought George to Boston, so that figure belongs to a lineup that has already been broken up.
The engine behind 56 wins ranked near the top of the league.
Last season Boston's offense finished second in the NBA and its defense fourth, a combination worth an 8.3 differential. Whether that math holds with George in Brown's old spot, and with Tatum back after a 16-game season, is what camp exists to test.
The new backcourt shoots it well from distance, on paper.
George made 39.2 percent of his threes across 37 games last season; Pritchard made 37.7 percent across 79. Both numbers were earned apart from each other, and neither one says how they look once George, Pritchard, White and the rest are asked to share the same shot clock.
What is the Celtics' payroll for 2026-27?
Boston is carrying $203.9M across 17 contracts, past the $200.4M luxury tax line and below the $209.0M first apron.
Is Boston's best lineup from last season still intact?
No. The Brown-White-Queta-Pritchard-Hauser group posted a net +17.9 last season, but Brown was traded to Philadelphia for Paul George this summer.
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The big question · Fri, Sep 25One Wing Out, One Wing In: Grading the Brown-for-George Trade
Rumor check · Fri, Sep 25Rumor Check: Two Threads Closed, One Spot Still Blank
Morning · Fri, Sep 25Tatum Clears, and the Calendar Starts Talking
Around the beat · Thu, Sep 24Beat Notes: Two New Names, Stevens on Brown, Queta's Ceiling
Player focus · Thu, Sep 24Payton Pritchard's Job Gets Bigger This Season