How expensive of a team have the Boston Celtics been compared to their peers?

How expensive of a team have the Boston Celtics been compared to their peers? By now, even many casual fans of the NBA are aware of the fact that the Celtics’ payroll is about to get very expensive — historically so.

With Boston set to be the first ball club in league history to spend a half-billion dollars on salary and tax, their financial impact will quite literally make history. But what about in the years leading up to that point compared to the rest of their peers in the Association? That is the question Bleacher Report cap expert Eric Pincus broke down for all 30 teams in the league in a recent article. And he had plenty to say about Boston’s spending since 2017.

“The Celtics were not a taxpayer when the team advanced to the NBA Finals in 2022,” he writes. “The roster became much more expensive the following year ($70 million in tax) and then dipped slightly in the recent championship run ($43.8 million). That number will climb to about $66 million this year.”

“The Celtics gave out extensions out like candy (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser) the past year-plus,” Pincus reminds us. “The team may be for sale, which could shift priorities, but any buyer will be taking on a hefty payroll.”

Have the Celtics been a cheap team compared to their output? Absolutely, for a while, as younger teams tend to be. But the current ownership group’s big push for a title needed talent added to the roster — and with that push came the historic future bill we mentioned at the outset.

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