The green and white confetti that coated TD Garden’s parquet floor had not even been swept away after the Celtics won the NBA championship over the Mavericks on Monday night before Jaylen Brown began thinking about what could come next.
“I think we have an opportunity,” Brown said. “I think we definitely have a window. We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”
Within hours after clinching the title the Celtics were quickly installed as heavy favorites to repeat next year, a feat no team has accomplished since the Warriors captured crowns in 2017 and ‘18.
Unlike previous seasons, when questions lingered about whether Brown and Jayson Tatum were capable of taking this team to the summit together, there is no longer any doubt. Furthermore, the Celtics have their core pieces under contract for next season, so there is plenty of reason to believe that another dominant campaign is looming.
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Things will get tougher in 2025-26, when the repeater tax kicks in for being over the luxury-tax line in three of four seasons, and more second-apron restrictions, such as having future draft picks frozen, are activated for being over that salary line in consecutive years. But for now, Boston is extremely well positioned to bring back another dominant roster. The idea of running it back would have infuriated many fans in past years, but now it should be a source of comfort.
For the Celtics, the most important order of business this summer will also be a formality. Tatum will agree on a five-year super-max extension that is expected to be worth about $315 million, replacing the extension Brown signed last summer as the richest contract in NBA history. That deal could be signed after the free agent moratorium period lifts July 6.
Guard Derrick White is also extension eligible. The sides were unable to come to an agreement last year, and it turned out to be a good bet by White, who played at an All-Star level, was named to an All-Defensive team for the second year in a row, and remained one of the most durable Celtics. He will be eligible for an extension that is expected to be worth approximately $125 million over four years, a bargain considering the paychecks Tatum and Brown will eventually be receiving.
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Sam Hauser, who shot 42.4 percent from the 3-point line on a career-high 5.9 average attempts, could also sign an extension. It will be important to retain Hauser, who officially has a team option next season, because Boston’s team-building options will be so limited in the coming years. The Celtics could also decline Hauser’s option in order to simply re-sign him to a longer-term deal that also includes less of a luxury-tax burden.
But Tatum, White, and Hauser are all under contract for next season already, just like all of the other key rotation pieces.
Center Al Horford turned 38 this month but has given no indication that he intends to retire after finally winning his first title. Team co-owner Wyc Grousbeck even declared this past week that Horford would be back next year. The big man, who will be paid $9.5 million next season, remained incredibly effective this season and was invaluable when Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined during the playoffs.
Porzingis’s upcoming left ankle surgery, meanwhile, is expected to sideline him for several months, but even if he were to miss training camp he should be back long before the Celtics truly need him.
One must look further down the roster to find an actual free agent. Luke Kornet, who seized a more prominent role as the Celtics prioritized the health of Porzingis and Horford during the regular season, is unrestricted. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens is a big fan of Kornet’s, and the 7-foot-2-inch center was a very good locker room presence.
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Forward/center Xavier Tillman, who was acquired in a trade with the Grizzlies in February, is also an unrestricted free agent. Tillman was an unsung hero of Boston’s Game 3 win over Dallas and got the nod over Kornet in that series because of his defensive versatility. He mostly held up against Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic after switching on screens.
The Celtics prioritize flexibility, so they probably like the idea of bringing back both Kornet and Tillman to give themselves the option to play different ways. Boston has Bird rights for both players, meaning it can re-sign them without being restricted by the salary cap.
Forward Oshae Brissett has a player option on his minimum-salary deal. Brissett had productive moments this season but is unlikely to command much more than the minimum on the open market. If all other possibilities are mostly equal, returning to the defending NBA champion is certainly a pleasant route.
Third-string big man Neemias Queta, whose two-way deal was converted to a standard NBA contract during the season, has a team option, and third-string forward Svi Mykhailiuk is a free agent. The Celtics will have no incentive to act quickly with either player, particularly now that they are likely to be an extremely attractive destination for veterans willing to play on minimum-salary deals in order to chase a championship.
Lastly, the Celtics own the 30th and 54th picks in the draft, which begins Wednesday. It is their first first-round pick since they took Payton Pritchard with the 26th choice in 2020, and the first of the Stevens era.
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It’s impossible to predict how the draft will unfold, but it certainly appears that the Celtics will look to add a player who will be part of next season’s roster, considering all of the restrictions that will soon be in place.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.