The Celtics' shot at history came up just short, falling in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat.
Boston put itself in a 3-0 hole before it finally came alive. With their backs against the wall, the Celtics rattled off three-straight wins to become the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a playoff series.
Unfortunately for Celtics fans, the same sense of urgency that powered wins in Games 4, 5 and 6 never materialized in the winner-take-all game in front of their home crowd.
Jimmy Butler and Miami were able to prevail and fight off infamy, sending Boston into a crucial offseason as it tries to maximize the championship window of its superstar duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
What's next for the Celtics? The Sporting News breaks down their offseason below.
Key storyline: Jaylen Brown's supermax contract extension
After Brown was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the 2022-23 season, it triggered his eligibility for a supermax contract extension this offseason.
Brown was extension-eligible regardless of his All-NBA status, but the supermax extension gives Boston a significant chance to retain its franchise cornerstone.
The Celtics will now be able to offer Brown a five-year, $295 million supermax contract, which is over $100 million more than what they could have offered him had he missed out on an All-NBA team.
Here's a look at what Brown's supermax extension could look like, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith.
| Year | Salary |
| 2024-25 | $50,050,000 |
| 2025-26 | $54,054,000 |
| 2026-27 | $58,058,000 |
| 2027-28 | $62,062,000 |
| 2028-29 | $66,066,000 |
| Total: | $290,290,000 |
(As Smith notes, those figures are based on 35 percent of the $143 million projected cap for 2024-25.)
While there is no guarantee Brown signs the supermax extension, the $295 million deal will be extremely hard to turn down after Boston got the star wing at a discount on his last contract. He could elect to play out the final year of his four-year deal in 2023-24 and enter unrestricted free agency in 2024, but no other team will be able to offer him the full supermax like the Celtics can.
It's also important to note that if Brown does ink the supermax contract extension with Boston, he would be ineligible to be traded for one year from the date of his signing. That means he would be locked with the Celtics for the entire 2023-24 season.
When Brown was asked about re-signing with Boston earlier this season, he gave The Ringer's Logan Murdock a non-commital response. However, it is worth noting that this interview was done before he became supermax eligible.
“I just enjoy the time that you have now,” Brown told The Ringer. “If it’s your whole career, it’s your whole career. If it’s not, it’s not. Some of the greatest players of all time haven’t finished with their organization. Michael Jordan retired a Wizard.
"As much as we like it here and enjoy being here, you see where life takes you. You see how the process goes. All you do is really focus on what’s in front of you right now, to be honest," he continued.
“But I don’t really know or want to answer that question because that type of stuff makes Celtics fans speculate and go crazy. Especially right now, I’ll just say we’ll get there when we get there.”
Brown's supermax extension will undoubtedly be the No. 1 priority for Boston this offseason.
Celtics' upcoming free agents
The Celtics have a handful of free agents this offseason. Veteran forward Blake Griffin is the team's only unrestricted free agent, while Danilo Gallinari — who missed the entire season with an ACL injury — has a player option.
Veteran shooter Mike Muscala, who the Celtics acquired at the trade deadline, has a team option. Grant Williams, Mfiondu Kabengele and J.D. Davison are all restricted free agents this offseason.
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Player Option | Team Option |
| Blake Griffin | Grant Williams | Danilo Gallinari | Mike Muscala |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | |||
| J.D. Davison |
An unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any team. A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player's original team can bring him back by matching the offer.
Last offseason, player and team options had to be exercised by June 29, the day before free-agent negotiations began.
Celtics' future salary, roster
As mentioned above, Brown's supermax contract extension will be the top priority in Boston this offseason.
Tatum is under contract through the 2024-25 season with a player option for 2025-26. After qualifying for another All-NBA team this year, he is now eligible to sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $318 million at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
If both Brown and Tatum sign their supermax extensions, the Celtics will have a combined $613 million invested into their superstar duo moving forward.
As for the rest of their core, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are under contract through 2025-26. Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White and Al Horford are under contract through 2024-25.
The only regular rotation player not under contract is Grant Williams, who will be eligible for his rookie-scale extension this offseason.
| Player | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
| Jayson Tatum | $32.6 million | $34.9 million | $37.1 million (PO) | UFA |
| Jaylen Brown | $31.8 million | UFA | ||
| Malcolm Brogdon | $22.5 million | $22.5 million | UFA | |
| Marcus Smart | $18.6 million | $20.0 million | $21.3 million | UFA |
| Derrick White | $18.4 million | $19.6 million | UFA | |
| Robert Williams | $11.6 million | $12.4 million | $13.3 million | UFA |
| Al Horford | $10.0 million | $9.5 million | UFA | |
| Danilo Gallinari | $6.8 million (PO) | UFA | ||
| Payton Pritchard | $4.0 million | RFA | ||
| Mike Muscala | $3.5 million (TO) | UFA | ||
| Luke Kornet | $2.4 million | UFA | ||
| Justin Champagnie | $1.9 million (NG) | RFA | ||
| Sam Hauser | $1.9 million | $2.1 million (TO) | UFA |
PO = Player option
TO = Team option
NG = Non-guaranteed
UFA = Unrestricted free agent
RFA = Restricted free agent
Celtics 2023 NBA Draft picks
The Celtics own one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — No. 35 overall. The pick comes from the Trail Blazers, which has been re-routed to Boston over the course of five different trades.
The Celtics should look to target a high-energy, floor-stretching forward as protection in case they do not retain any of Grant Williams, Gallinari or Muscala.
In the early second-round range, players like Marquette's Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Gonzaga's Julian Strawther or UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr. would all fill a need for Boston.
The Celtics' first-round pick (No. 29 overall) is headed to the Pacers in the deal that landed Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. Their second-round pick (No. 57 overall) will be re-routed to the Wizards via Charlotte.