Celtics Offseason Dates: Key Decision Timelines Entering Pivotal Stretch

Celtics offseason dates: Key decision timelines entering pivotal stretch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s not a matter of if the Boston Celtics will make major moves this offseason. It’s when.

As our Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg laid out in the aftermath of Boston’s blowout loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the second round, the C’s need to cut a significant amount of salary this summer to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax and avoid significant penalties.

“The Celtics are committed to $228 million in contracts next season, already $20 million over the second apron, and that’s before decisions on free-agents-to-be in Al Horford and Luke Kornet,” Forsberg wrote Saturday.

That could take the form of trading a key member of the rotation — Sam Hauser, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and even Jaylen Brown are all potential candidates to be moved — and/or letting Horford or Kornet walk in free agency. In short, big moves are coming, especially in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury that could cost him most or all of the 2025-26 season.

So, when exactly will all of these moves go down? Here are some key NBA offseason dates to monitor from a Celtics perspective:

June 14-22 (first day after NBA Finals): Teams can negotiate with their own free agents

The good news for Celtics fans? It’s unlikely any drastic changes happen before the NBA Finals end.

While Boston technically can make trades now since its season has ended, the four teams left in the playoffs — the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves — can’t make any deals. So the Celtics almost certainly will wait until after the Finals to explore all of their options on the trade market (especially since the Thunder specifically own multiple future picks and could be roped into a multi-team deal).

The day after the NBA Finals is also when the C’s can begin negotiating with their three pending unrestricted free agents — Horford, Kornet and Torrey Craig — and restricted free agent Drew Peterson.

June 25-26: 2025 NBA Draft

This is a sneaky-important draft for the Celtics, especially if they unload multiple rotation players.

Boston currently owns two picks — No. 28 overall (first round) and No. 32 overall (second round, via Washington Wizards) — and will be looking for future rotation players on low-cost deals. The Celtics also could explore trading up in the first round to land an impact talent.

The window between the end of the Finals and the start of the draft could be very busy for Boston as Brad Stevens explores potential trades.

June 29: Deadline for player/team options and qualifying offers for restricted free agents

This deadline only impacts two players in Boston: JD Davison and Drew Peterson.

Davison has a team option for $2.3 million, and seems likely the Celtics pick that up to keep the point guard in Boston after converting his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract near the end of the regular season.

Peterson is a restricted free agent and would cost roughly $2 million to keep in the fold. He’s also a strong candidate to stick around if the C’s want low-cost salaries on their roster.

June 30 (6 p.m. ET): Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs

This date is the “unofficial” start to free agency, so if Horford, Kornet and/or Craig haven’t agreed to stay in Boston by this point, we could hear rumblings about them joining other teams around this time.

The Celtics probably won’t be signing big-ticket free agents given their cap constraints, but if they trade away multiple players, they may need to fill out their roster with lower-cost free agents.

July 6 (12:01 p.m. ET): NBA free agency officially begins

The Celtics can make their signings official after 12 p.m. ET on July 6.

July 6: Jordan Walsh extension deadline

Walsh currently has a team option for 2026-27 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027. If the Celtics like what the future holds for the 2023 second-round pick, they could try to sign him to an extension this offseason, although they may have limited resources to work with.

July 10: NBA Summer League begins

If the Celtics draft a rookie or two, this will be our first opportunity to see them in action.

July 12: Kristaps Porzingis extension deadline

It’s unclear whether Porzingis will even be on the roster at this point, and an extension for the big man seems like a long shot given Boston’s financial situation.