Mailbag: Cap Circumvention ALLOWED? And WHO is NUMBER 2 for the Celtics?
Salary cap loopholes, Celtics roster protections, and chaotic Sixers storylines take center stage as John Karalis of Celtics On SI answers mailbag questions on Locked On Celtics. Will NBA teams push the limits with sponsor deals after the Clippers-Kawhi saga? Karalis sorts out how the league might respond, then addresses a potential 2028 expansion draft: who makes the protected list, and could the Celtics lose a crucial piece?
Drama ramps up as Karalis questions whether LeBron James brings fatal pressure to the Philadelphia 76ers, debates which Eastern Conference giant is truly Finals-bound, and spotlights the battle for Boston’s number 2 role—will Derrick White shine, or can Payton Pritchard surprise? Stay tuned for legacy talk on Jayson Tatum’s MVP odds and a tongue-in-cheek NBA Sideshow Bob comparison. The episode offers can’t-miss insight into Boston’s future and league-wide intrigue.
0:00 Mailbag Monday Intro
2:20 Clippers, Kawhi & Salary Cap Circumvention
5:28 2028 Expansion Draft Concerns
14:01 76ers Drama & League Pass Ranking
16:54 Eastern Conference Finals Contenders
20:42 Celtics’ Number 2 Option Discussion
25:50 Jayson Tatum’s MVP Chances & NBA Sideshow Bob
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Locked On Celtics is a daily Boston Celtics podcast by Celtics On SI beat writer John Karalis. It’s an inside look at the C’s from a former professional basketball player who is at practices & games.
#BostonCeltics #Celtics #NBA #JaysonTatum #JaylenBrown
Robert Wagner (rip) and Rob Lowe in the prequels/flashback.
The #2 of the Celtics this Season is…. The rest of the Team, whoever is feeling it that game.
Hugo Gonzalez 12 pts 9 reb 5 assist and 3 steals next year per game average
Celtics identity is now defensive minded and it is going to be so refreshing
no. it's not new. McHale himself said everyone did it when Minnesota got caught, it's just that "some teams do it better than others". Didn't they get some picks taken away as punishment?
Easy buckets Off of turnovers and transitional defense is Much better without a low IQ basketball player named jaylen Brown. Great Guy but never evolved into Reggie Lewis. He had his chance.
Defensive intensity will be off the charts next year.
Instead of Tatum wasting energy covering Up for jaylen Browns mistakes or lack of hustle. NOW Tatum can focus on truly winning.
BOSTON Celtics are now streamlined! I love it
Watch prichard and white push the floor off of rebounds. Tatum will bring the Ball Up less till it's time to get into the offense
Washburn and Holley wore kids gloves for the last couple years regarding Jaylen Browns performance.
Mazzula is a Much happier man with ALOT less frustrations with Brown eating Philly cheese steaks now
Can LeBron push Jaylen Brown to move without the ball on offense? Can LeBron inplure Jaylen to play Off ball defense with focus along with Jaylen usage percentage dropping to 17 percent this year? Chris IN Hartford says not a chance in Hell
Prichard is a defensive liability. He will get less minutes because of Hugo and Walsh having more of a promient roles
Hugo's nickname is "The NAIL" Chris IN Hartford
Shierman's nickname is "boobe" Chris IN Hartford
Great SHOW John 👍
Trade Derrick
Better White is numher 2 next season from a cap stance. It would be easier to extend Prichard at a fair rate. If Prichard is the 2 he will ask for a close to if not max Contract extension. This is the difference between having to pay him in the 20M range and the 40-50M range.
🍻 ☘️
Thanks for the pod John.
I think Pritchard has reached his ceiling. He's been great, but there's nothing more to give. We may see a step from Queta though, should the Celtics give him the opportunity.
I keep thinking about Jaylen Brown losing 10 pounds this off season….I think he's going to be a terror this year.
Tatum = Pushover 🌬💃🍀🤭
The Payton Pritchard disrespect is craaaaaazy!!! 😳🤦🏾🤔
The Celtics rookie I want to see get minutes is Chris Cenac Jr. He's the only reason why I tuned in to the NBA draft.
The Miami Disrespect wont be foegotten😎🔥
dont matter what clips did they didnt win nought soo …
Hopefully George…still getting paid 50mil
Only one Mamba, The Black Mamba RIP and Happy Birthday Kobe Bean Bryant
Derreck White is older than Pritchard and averaged less…your praise for Dwhite makes no sense….Dwhite 4 yrs older!!!
Sideshow, bob, not an individual? How about the philadelphia seventy sixers As a whole
Your a clown leave enis freedom alone 🤡🤡🤡
tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering should be dealt with in the court of law.
Offensively?
Pritchard
Do ypu really not know the answer to that question?😂
And if you dont wtf r u doing even talking about them?
All bets are off if u can pay a scrub like DEI James’s 50 mil at his age. Anyone and everyone shud get paid imo. It’s not about the performance anymore. And I disagree with Chris, u can absolutely still add to ur gme as u get older not sure where he got tht frm but he’s dead wrong. Guys talk like this nba is the past nba, it’s not and it’s easy to score especially whn defense isn’t prioritized. The sideshow bob of the nba is easily DEI James no question.
I agree that Pritchard is not becoming another Brunson, as you especially mentioned, because of his age(28 going on 29), but, White at 32 going on 33 is very questionable to be a consistent #2. On the contrary, I'm very concerned that he is losing his overall quality. His offensive production especially was atrocious last year!