During the 2024 finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics erased a 16-year drought and nabbed their 18th championship in franchise history. Considering their well-oiled core, they will fancy their chances to add another title in the 2024-25 season, unlike the Denver Nuggets. However, Gilbert Arenas doesn’t believe in such a possibility. He believes the Celtics’ game style isn’t well-suited to complete a back-to-back championship quest.
Advertisement
On Gil’s Arena, the 3x All-Star claimed that since the Celtics attempt a lot of three-pointers, they might run out of steam at some point. This would pave the way for their opponents to edge them out. Arenas told his co-hosts,
“From the style they play, I personally can’t see them going back-to-back. They play Five Out and whoever gets it, just chuck a three.”
On the other hand, Nick Young disagreed with this and argued that unless an elite squad makes a huge move like the Golden State Warriors in 2016 (bringing in Kevin Durant), he doesn’t see a way to unseat the Celtics. However, Arenas was unconvinced.
Later, even though he admitted that no NBA squad is as deep as them, he remained steadfast in his belief that they won’t be able to conquer in consecutive seasons. Interestingly, Rashad McCants co-signed Arenas’ thoughts and believed that the Celtics’ window to make a championship run has closed. But has it?
Boston Celtics are going to run into cap space issues
The Celtics signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year, $286 million deal in the 2023 offseason. This historic deal has created some fluctuations in their balance book. For the 2024-25 season, they will also have to pay Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Jayson Tatum in the $29 million-$34 million range, leaving them with a tiny bit of cap space.
In the 2024 offseason, Tatum will be eligible for a supermax extension and might get a contract that surpasses Brown’s deal. This means Derrick White, seeking a maximum extension during the 2024 offseason, might have to take a significant pay cut. Additionally, he might be tempted to test his worth in free agency as a high-quality two-way piece.
Amidst these circumstances, the Celtics owner, Wyc Grousbeck, expressed that the 2024 championship-winning core is not going anywhere. On Open Run, Grousbeck warned his competition, “We’re bringing this whole team back next year. Look out the world.”
It will not be a surprise if the Cs return with pretty much the same roster for the next season. The allure of adding to their championship cabinet can play a huge role in White’s desire to sign at a much lower price than he deserves. Such sacrifices are vital to maintain a dynasty so the Celtics fans will cross their fingers on the future of White.
