ESPN just dropped their ‘Now or Later’ NBA rankings ahead of the 2026-27 season, and get this: the Boston Celtics, our boys in green, are supposedly not under as much pressure to win right now as you’d think. They clocked in at a surprisingly low 14th overall. Seriously, 14th? With their track record?
What Even Is This Ranking?
This whole ranking thing from ESPN looked at a couple of big factors: how much teams are expected to spend in the future, and the value of their future first-round picks. The Celtics landed 8th in future money, 17th in draft pick value, and that somehow averaged out to 14th overall in ‘win now’ pressure. That puts them behind 13 other teams ESPN thinks need to win *more* urgently than Boston. We’re talking about the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Indiana Pacers all feeling more heat. Is anyone else scratching their head over this?
The Jaylen Brown Trade Hangover (Or Reset?)
So, why the wild ranking? According to Zach Kram from ESPN, it all comes back to the Jaylen Brown trade. He says that deal “reset the Celtics’ competitive clock a bit,” which apparently cut down on the pressure for their long-term cap sheet and brought in new draft assets. Yeah, Jayson Tatum’s supermax is still on the books, and Paul George and Derrick White have hefty deals. Plus, centers Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta got “reasonable new contracts.” All that still makes Boston “a relatively expensive team” even without Brown’s supermax, per Kram.
Brad Stevens himself made it pretty clear that part of moving Brown was financial. He didn’t think having “70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players” was the best way to chase another championship. Brown had three years left on his contract and was set up for another massive extension. By trading him, Boston avoided that huge long-term commitment, got more financial flexibility, and snagged two future first-round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers. While a lot of people thought the 76ers “won” that trade, ESPN clearly sees it as a move that took some pressure off Boston to win right away. It’s wild to think that a trade many saw as a loss could be spinning as a positive for our ‘win now’ status.
Still Chasing History, Regardless
Even with all this talk about a “reset competitive clock,” let’s not forget the Celtics have the longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances in the NBA, sitting at 12 years straight. Kram even wrote that this “Brown-less roster is still in shape to extend that streak to 13.” So, we’re still expected to be good enough to make the playoffs, but somehow, we’re not supposed to be feeling the pressure to win it all right now? That feels like a contradiction. With a streak like that, the expectation from us fans is always going to be championship or bust.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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