3 Boston Celtics Who Won't Return Next Season

The Boston Celtics are still riding the high of celebrating the NBA championship, but not all of them will be back to defend the title next season.

No team can stand pat after winning it all, and improvements can always be made, especially around the edges. In addition, some players will be looking for bigger roles elsewhere now that they've got their ring.

With that in mind, we take a look at three who very well won't be back with the Celtics for 2024-25.

Oshae Brissett

This one's a done deal after he just declined his player option on Sunday.

Oshae Brissett is declining his $2.5M player option with the Boston Celtics for the 2024-25 season, a league source told @spotrac.

Brissett will now be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 23, 2024

Brissett hits unrestricted free agency where he'll look to find himself a bigger role once again elsewhere. The Canadian forward was only given 11 minutes per game for the Celtics this season, averaging 3.7 points. With the Indiana Pacers before coming to Boston, he had a regular place in the rotation, and averaged around 10 points a game over a couple of seasons, with over five rebounds per night.

Xavier Tillman

Another player who should be able to find a bigger role on the open market. The 6'8" big man saw his floor time vastly reduced after coming over from the Memphis Grizzlies midseason. He got into just 13.7 minutes per game after averaging 20 minutes for Memphis. At 25, he will likely be looking for something more as a free agent.

Luke Kornet

The 7'2" center showed himself more than capable as a solid rotation piece, but entering his free agent year with a scarcity of capable centers on the market, he could certainly land himself a better deal than the 2-year, $4.5 million pact he just completed with the C's. It would be a tough loss for Boston, but they might not be able to compete with some of the money other teams might offer.