​Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens continues to favor entering the regular season with an open roster spot. He reiterated that approach on Thursday afternoon when it was officially announced that the Celtics had waived forward Dalano Banton. Although the trade of star guard Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers shocked some, this more modest offseason move was not unexpected. Boston already had a full roster and aimed to trim to 14 players, a move that also allowed them to slip under the luxury tax threshold with about $1.7 million to spare. Banton had joined the Celtics last season to complete their depth chart and was already familiar with the organization from a previous stint in Boston during the first half of the 2023-24 campaign. While being released is never easy for an NBA player, the 26-year-old now has the opportunity to latch on with another team in time for Las Vegas Summer League action.
For the Celtics, the move serves a broader tax strategy. By trimming the roster, Boston would reset the repeater tax clock for the 2027-28 season if they remain under the tax line this year. Stevens and the other top decision-makers have likely discussed this approach, but Celtics owner Bill Chisholm signaled openness to spending when the moment is right. “When we have the opportunity, we’re going to do it,” Chisholm said on Monday afternoon during a press conference addressing the Brown trade. “And we’ve given ourselves the flexibility to do it now… I know we have to prove it, and we will.” Whether that future spending spree happens this offseason or later remains to be seen, yet Stevens and the Celtics front office may opt to stay under the tax for now to dodge the repeater penalty while keeping an eye on 2027.
“We’re looking,” Stevens replied when asked about the team’s next moves. “We’re open, right? And we’ll be open. I don’t anticipate anything in the very near term. I think that we do like the team we have. We might be able to add to it, but at the end of the day, we like the group we have.” If the Celtics decide not to invest next year, expect some pushback from Boston fans who have grown weary of ownership prioritizing profits. “The mandate is to win, and I just have to keep saying that,” Chisholm insisted. “We’ll spend whatever it takes to do that; the mandate is to win.”
Note: this article originally appeared on Celtics Wire, with coverage that highlights the dual aims of maintaining payroll flexibility while pursuing a championship-ready roster. The Celtics’ decision to cut Banton aligns with the broader strategy of balancing competitive aspirations with tax considerations as Stevens and the front office shape the team for the near term and the longer horizon.