Celtics plan to 'compete for championships,' but offseason could change that

The past 72 hours since the Boston Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs have been a vortex of emotions, conversations and lack of sleep for Brad Stevens.

The team’s president of basketball operations is fully aware there are a lot of questions for him and the front office as the Celtics embark on an offseason that will be replete with challenges that were both expected and unexpected entering this season.

"I know there will be a lot of questions about what’s next," Stevens said during his season-ending news conference on Monday. "At the end of the day, I think that will all be driven by the same thing that’s always driven us and that’s ‘How do we get ourselves in the mix to compete for championships best?’"

Contending, though, will be harder than it's ever been for the Celtics during the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era, and certainly under Stevens' guidance. 

Boston faces two glaring issues: Superstar Jayson Tatum is set to miss most of the next season because of a devastating torn Achilles tendon he suffered in a Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks; and the Celtics face a slew of tough personnel decisions, roster moves and financial penalties because of their cap situation.

"The next time Jayson Tatum plays — if we assume he'll miss all of 2025 — this team will be so drastically different," Fox Sports' Nick Wright said Monday on "First Things First".

With Boston’s payroll for next season on track to come in around $225 million, next year’s tax bill would be at almost $280 million. The combined potential $500 million total price tag would be a league record under the current highly restrictive Collective Bargaining Agreement.

It is unclear whether the team’s incoming ownership will want to keep paying those hefty