Jaylen Brown will miss significant time after an injury that unravels Boston's plan to contend immediately, not eventually, in a season the Celtics had already restructured around cost. Boston shed Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer to duck the second luxury-tax apron, the one that strips a team of trade tools and roster flexibility once triggered twice. That was a bet that Brown and Jayson Tatum's health would absorb a thinner bench. The bet just took its first loss, and it happened before training camp.

The Celtics rebuilt around apron avoidance because the tax math punishes repeat offenders harder every year Boston stays over the line, and ownership had already watched the bill climb past $500 million in payroll and tax combined two seasons ago. A shallow roster was the tradeoff for staying flexible. Now the team finds out what shallow costs when the second-best player is out and the trade market for a replacement is thinner because the apron rules Boston structured around also limit what Boston can offer back.