Overview
- Boston moved off Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and saw Al Horford and Luke Kornet depart in free agency to reshape the cap sheet.
- Team officials say the changes cut combined 2025–26 salaries by roughly $28 million and reduced total payroll plus tax exposure to about $239 million.
- The club now sits below the second apron but remains roughly $4 million over the first apron and about $12 million into the tax entering 2025–26.
- Regaining room below the second apron allows Boston to aggregate salaries in trades and can unfreeze its 2032 first‑round pick if the team stays under for three of four years.
- Stevens outlined a shift toward a deeper, energy‑driven rotation with younger, high‑character additions and acknowledged the emotional difficulty of the decisions.