We all kinda saw this coming, deep down. The second that replay hit, everyone had the same sinking feeling. Sure, we held onto hope like maybe, just maybe, the basketball gods would show mercy and it wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario. But let’s be real, that was straight-up copium. What else could we do? Plays like that rarely end well, and now here we are—staring down the exact outcome we were scared of.
Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles. He’s likely out for at least a year, maybe more, and no one can say for sure how he’ll bounce back. That’s just the brutal truth. Acting like this is no big deal would be delusional. Maybe he comes back close to the same, maybe not but either way, it’s gonna be a different version of JT than what we’ve seen over the last 8 seasons. However you slice it, this changes everything for the short term and the long haul.
Even knowing it was coming, seeing Shams drop that tweet felt like getting rocked in the chest. I’ve been posted up in my room all day. Don’t wanna move, don’t wanna write, don’t wanna eat, don’t even care about the games tonight. It’s just one of those days where everything feels heavy and pointless.
We’ve been through some brutal injuries over the years, but this one hits different. Personally, it’s crushing. I would’ve taken literally any other injury. Give me a busted ankle like KP’s freak sprain, an ACL, a fracture, anything but this. Tatum, a generational talent, smack in the middle of his prime, just suffered one of the worst injuries in hoops. That’s nightmare fuel for any fan.
And the worst part? It happened to a guy who does everything right. Always available, always working, always locked in. Never causes drama, always steps up. And just like that, everything’s flipped upside down. Tell me how that makes any sense.
Now that we know what we’re dealing with, the next question is obviously, what now? Even before this happened, Boston was staring down some major offseason choices. The biggest one? When to use their final Year 3 as a second-apron team. Out of the 5 years allowed, they’ve already used 2. So yeah, this summer was always gonna be big, but now, it’s crunch time in every possible way.
Logically, the only real reason to keep this core intact over the summer would’ve been if the Celtics were coming off back-to-back titles. Then, yeah, you justify staying in the second apron and going all-in. If ownership’s throwing cash around to win, cool, run it back. But now? That whole equation’s flipped. With Tatum likely out for a year (maybe more), there’s no reason to stick in second-apron hell. That’s for teams chasing rings right now, and suddenly, that ain’t us. No point tying up flexibility with older, pricey vets just to end up hitting the reset button next summer anyway. Might as well use this as a chance to reset and breathe a bit.
So what does that reset even look like? First names on the block probably gotta be Jrue and KP. They were brought in to win now, to fit next to Tatum and JB. But KP’s deal is expiring, and Jrue’s under contract for three more years, and he’s not getting any younger. Feels like that’s where Brad starts. Problem is, you can’t just dump contracts for free. And attaching picks just to move them? Yeah… that sounds like a hard pass.
Some folks are definitely gonna toss out “just trade Jaylen Brown” takes, and honestly? Miss me with that. That convo’s not even worth having. I’d be stunned if Brad went there. This is unfamiliar territory, sure, but I still think the smart move is to see what kind of flexibility you can create by starting with Jrue and KP. Test the waters, see what shakes out.
Then there’s the Al Horford situation. The guy said he still wants to hoop, but does that change now with Tatum out for the year? Is it even fair to expect him to wait around just to maybe play with JT again down the road? Kornet might bounce in free agency too. So what the hell happens to our frontcourt? Do they just move Jrue and maybe Hauser to dip under the apron, hang on to KP for now, and flip him at the deadline? Feels like a chessboard with half the pieces missing.
Bottom line: our absolute worst-case scenario just played out in real life. And even now, hours later, it’s impossible to wrap my head around any of it. This whole situation is just so draining. Completely sucks the life outta you.
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