Celtics Rank Surprisingly Low In ESPN’s ‘Now or Later’ NBA Rankings
Celtics Rank Surprisingly Low In ESPN’s ‘Now or Later’ NBA Rankings originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics aren’t under as much pressure to win now as you might think.
Ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, ESPN ranked which teams most need to win now. The rankings factored in each team’s projected future spending and the value of its future first-round picks.
The Celtics ranked 8th in money, 17th in draft and 14th overall.
The 13 teams ESPN believes are under more pressure to win now than Boston are:
- Phoenix Suns
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Los Angeles Lakers
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Toronto Raptors
- Miami Heat
- Denver Nuggets
- Philadelphia 76ers
- LA Clippers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Indiana Pacers
"The Jaylen Brown trade reset the Celtics’ competitive clock a bit, lessening pressure on their long-term cap sheet and bringing back new draft assets," wrote ESPN’s Zach Kram. "Still, with Jayson Tatum’s supermax on the books and hefty deals for Paul George and Derrick White — plus reasonable new contracts for centers Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta — Boston ranks as a relatively expensive team even without Brown’s supermax.
"The Celtics have the longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances, at 12 years in a row. Their Brown-less roster is still in shape to extend that streak to 13."
MORE:NBA Experts React to Payton Pritchard’s Contract Extension
It’s no secret that part of the reason the Celtics traded Brown was financial.
Brad Stevens made it clear that he doesn’t believe Boston’s best path toward winning another championship was having "70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players."
Brown has three years remaining on his contract and would’ve been eligible for another lucrative extension had the Celtics kept him.
By moving Brown, Boston avoided the possibility of adding another massive long-term commitment to its books, gained more financial flexibility and acquired two future first-round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Even though many believe the 76ers won the Brown trade, the deal has taken some pressure off Boston to win now in ESPN’s eyes.
More Celtics
- Latest Celtics news
- TD Garden fan guide: What to know before you go
- Complete history of Celtics championships
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.