Boston Celtics take a step back in 2025-26 NBA GM Survey
Alright, Celtics Nation, let's huddle up and talk about the 2025-26 NBA GM Survey, because the vibes around our team have officially shifted from championship parade to rebuilding project, and the league's front offices have taken notice. It’s a weird feeling, right? For the last several seasons, you could pencil in the Celtics as a top-three answer in just about every category, from 'team most likely to win the East' to 'best home-court advantage.' But this year? We’re lurking in the 'also receiving votes' section, a spot usually reserved for plucky upstarts or teams with a fascinatingly weird roster, not a franchise that was hoisting banners just a couple of years ago. The reason for this collective step back isn't exactly a mystery; it's the ghost of the second apron, a financial boogeyman that forced GM Brad Stevens into one of the more telegraphed teardowns in recent memory.Losing Jayson Tatum to that torn Achilles in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks was the gut punch, but the subsequent cap crunch was the long, grueling recovery, forcing the team to shed salary and retool on the fly. So, while that preseason win against the Grizzlies was a fun, scrappy glimpse of what this new-look squad can be—energetic, defensively pesky, playing with house money—the GMs around the league aren't betting on them to be a serious threat this campaign.Let's break down where they actually showed up. In the 'toughest to predict' category, Boston landed in the 'also receiving votes' tier, which is honestly a bit surprising.You'd think a team that lost its superstar but still has a solid core and a brilliant coach in Joe Mazzulla would be a prime candidate for volatility. Yet, they trailed the Philadelphia 76ers, who are always a drama-filled question mark, and a massive seven-way tie that included the usual suspects like the Lakers, Warriors, and Mavericks.It feels like the league's brain trust has already penciled us in for a play-in tournament berth, nothing more, nothing less. Even more telling was the 'best overall moves' category, where the Celtics somehow snuck into fifth place behind the Hawks, Rockets, Nuggets, and Magic.For the average fan looking at the roster, seeing key rotation pieces traded for future assets and mid-level exceptions doesn't scream 'best moves,' but you have to remember the audience here. This is a survey for GMs, the people who lose sleep over cap minutiae and future financial flexibility.From their perspective, Stevens' surgical maneuvering to dodge the harshest repeater tax penalties while accumulating draft capital was a masterclass in long-term roster management, even if it makes for a less entertaining product on the court this season. The most fascinating—and frankly, hilarious—entry was in the 'most surprising move of the offseason.' The Celtics tied for third with the Hawks-Pelicans draft trade, while the Bucks' decisions to waive/stretch Damian Lillard and sign Myles Turner took the top spots. This is where the GM hive mind shows its quirks.How was Boston's strategic dismantling, a direct and predictable consequence of the CBA's punitive apron system, more surprising than, say, Milwaukee blowing up its core? It suggests that even among the league's top decision-makers, there's a disconnect between anticipating a financial reality and being genuinely shocked when a team actually bites the bullet and follows through. And finally, a genuine travesty: TD Garden was relegated to the 'also receiving votes' section for best home-court advantage, behind Denver's Mile High madness, Oklahoma City's youthful roar, and Madison Square Garden.Come on, now. Have these GMs forgotten the deafening, parquet-shaking intensity of a Game 7 in Boston? The way the building seems to will defensive stops in the fourth quarter? The history that seeps from the rafters? This feels like pure recency bias, a punishment for a team expected to be less competitive.But the Garden faithful know the deal. This season isn't about the final banner; it's about the process, the development of the young guys, and showing up to make some noise regardless, proving to the league that the Celtics' aura doesn't disappear after one down year.
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