Warriors veteran Draymond Green knows plenty about NBA dynasties, and he believes the Boston Celtics have an uphill battle to climb if they want to become one themselves.
The Celtics completed their first step on that journey Monday when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to become 2024 NBA Finals champions — Boston’s league-record 18th title and first since 2008. The current team would need at least a couple more rings if they want to follow in Golden State’s footsteps, but Green explained why that’s not as easy in today’s NBA.
“I do think this team is set up to compete for multiple titles,” Green said on the latest episode of his podcast. “When you talk about a potential dynasty, I don’t quite see that happening because I think we’ve got new rules, and we’ve got a second apron and all of those things.”
The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which took effect in July 2023 and runs through the 2029-30 season, essentially makes it more difficult for teams to sustain long-term success by including another luxury tax apron — $17.5 million above the luxury tax line — and withholding the Taxpayer Mid-Level exception from teams who surpass it.
The Celtics signed 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to a five-year, $286.2 million supermax contract extension last summer, and both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are under contract for four and two more seasons, respectively.
But Jayson Tatum now is eligible for a supermax extension as well that certainly will cost a pretty penny, making the mathematics behind keeping a championship contender together for many years to come all the more complicated considering the league’s new rules.
“Those things haven’t kicked in yet, and so when those deals start to kick in [and] you start to hit that second apron, it just changes things,” Green said. “And I think, quite frankly with those rules being in, I don’t know if we’ll ever see another dynasty, but right now they have a chance quickly to build it.”
Boston will have to work fast if it wants this squad to become NBA royalty. During the Warriors’ prolific run, it was easier to build a dynasty under the league’s old rules. But Green also knows even though a team might have the right players, winning more than one title doesn’t always come easy.
“I’ll just be completely honest with you — [the Celtics] won’t be as hungry for the next championship as they [were] for the first championship,” Green said. “It’s just not a realistic thing. Now, not saying to you they won’t be hungry and their goal coming into next season won’t be to win a championship again — of course that’s going to be their goal.
“But to think that you’re going to have the same hunger for your first million dollars as opposed to your second million dollars, it’s not the same … It’s not driven from the same place.”
Creating a dynasty not only requires a tenacious front office willing to put the right pieces together but also a perfect storm of circumstance and talent — and, in this case, rules that help create sustainability. The NBA looks different now, however, and Green isn’t sure if what the Warriors did across their four title runs ever will be done again.
“I think people started calling us a dynasty when we won three,” Green said. “And so they’ve got a chance to do it — quickly, though. Quickly. Does it get done? I don’t know.”
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast