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By Matthew Schmidt
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Boston Celtics suffered a tough loss against the Philadelphia 76ers during their season opener on Wednesday night, surrendering 42 points in the fourth quarter and blowing a late lead in the process.
The Celtics aren't expected to be title contenders by any means this year. Jayson Tatum is sidelined with a torn Achilles, they traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday over the summer and watched as Al Horford and Luke Kornet departed via free agency.
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Boston may not be done losing pieces, either, and the C's could be moving some players willingly.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey is predicting that the Celtics will continue to shed salary this season and thinks that a couple of key players could be gone by the trade deadline.
"Right now, Boston is within $12.1 million of ducking the luxury tax. And if the Celtics are going to have a sub-.500 season, they might well chase it," Bailey wrote. "That could mean players like Anfernee Simons and/or Sam Hauser could be on the move prior to February's trade deadline."
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It has been a steep drop for the C's, who won 64 games and captured an NBA championship in 2024 only to see things completely unraveled the second Tatum sustained his Achilles injury during the second round of the playoffs last May.
To be quite frank, given the financial ramifications, the Celtics probably would have had to subtract some players even if Tatum didn't get hurt, but his injury made their decision that much easier.
Boston actually acquired Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Holiday trade, and while the guard is a decent microwave scorer, his future in Beantown has been in question ever since he arrived.
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As for Hauser, the sharpshooter was a critical piece in the Celtics' title run two years ago, so much so that they handed him a four-year, $45 million extension that ensuing offseason. Hauser's new deal just kicked in this season, so Boston will have to pay him through 2029 if it decides to keep him.
The good news is that Hauser is actually on a rather team-friendly contract, so the Celtics probably wouldn't have too difficult a time rehoming him.
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