Boston Celtics general manager and team president Brad Stevens has hinted at his plans for the team's new center lineup in 2025-26.
The club's rotation has been utterly decimated in the summer.
Stevens traded away 7-foot-2 former starting center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets, in exchange for a future second rounder and veteran sharpshooting forward Georges Niang. Porzingis, 29, was a key 3-and-D contributor during the Celtics' last two regular seasons who faded in the playoffs with various health issues.
Third-string center Luke Kornet, who had some big playoff moments for the Celtics this spring, inked a three-season, $41 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Free agent backup big man Al Horford, who essentially supplanted Porzingis during both of his Celtics playoff runs, seems to be eyeing an exit, although he remains unsigned as of this writing.
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The 39-year-old power forward/center, a former five-time All-Star, has probably punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame in a decorated 18-year pro career that includes the Celtics' 2024 championship plus an impressive college run at Florida capped off by consecutive NCAA titles in 2006 and '07.
The Celtics still have two incumbent big men from last season, center Neemias Queta and power forward/center Xavier Tillman, rostered. Boston also inked free agent center Luka Garza to a new two-year, $5.5 million deal and selected Kentucky center Amari Williams in the second round of last month's 2025 draft.
Noa Dalzell of CLNS inquired about Boston's shifting center lineup during a Stevens presser on Tuesday.
Asked Brad Stevens about the center rotation after this offseason, and he said Neemias Queta has a “great chance” to be impactful here.
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) July 8, 2025
Also adds:
“We’ve always liked Luka Garza from afar.” pic.twitter.com/LZuEHRFPef
"I think we had an incredible luxury with Luke [Kornet] and Neemi [Neemias Queta] as our third and fourth centers, 'cause I think they were both much better than that. And I think Luke will have an amazing impact in San Antonio and I think Neemi has a great chance to be impactful here," Stevens said.
"We've always liked Luka Garza from afar, and we think he has the real physicality that's necessary on both ends of the floor, especially on glass, in addition to his ability to score," Stevens added. "And then, you've got Amari, who's down there now, and we think that he has a high upside. And you can flex other guys into that center role. Tillman is more of a four, probably, but he can flex into that center role. We'll have to do that by committee."
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