NBA offseason guide - Celtics facing a massive offseason decision - ESPN

The Boston Celtics fell short of matching their run to the NBA Finals from last season, and now face a highly consequential offseason after losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

With All-Star guard Jaylen Brown set to be a free agent next summer and extension eligible now, Boston will need to find out how much it is willing to spend to keep its core intact.

But Brown isn't alone, as some other key players, who are free agents this year or next year, will be the focus of the Celtics' front office over the next few months.

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By their own standard, this season was a disappointment for the Celtics. How could it be any less considering Boston returned the same roster that lost to Golden State in six games, added Malcolm Brogdon last offseason and then saw Brown and Jayson Tatum selected to the All-NBA team.

The Celtics now enter the offseason facing short- and long-term decisions. In the short term, Boston has 13 players under contract from a 57-win team and a decision to make with restricted free agent Grant Williams. Re-signing Williams would put the Celtics into the repeater tax.

In the long term, Boston has to decide whether a roster that has two players earning more than $600 million combined is sustainable to compete for a championship under the new collective bargaining agreement. By virtue of their All-NBA selections, Brown is eligible to sign a projected $295 million extension this offseason and then Tatum can sign for $318 million the following summer. If the Celtics' front office decides that Brown and Tatum are franchise players, then the answer is yes. Because Tatum's extension would not kick in until 2025-26, the Celtics are not in danger of exceeding