Pagliuca: Celtics Willing to Enter Luxury Tax to Win

Steve Pagliuca says the NBA is going “back to the future” where the salary cap is concerned.

This summer’s salary cap adjustment, which lowered the number to $99.093 million for the 2017-18 season, and set the luxury tax level at $119.266 million, took an especially draconian hit on the Celtics.

That tightened cap number is the reason Avery Bradley was introduced as a member of the Detroit Pistons last Thursday, thus giving the Celtics room to account for Gordon Hayward’s four-year, $128 million contract.

But the Celtics are likely on the brink of a true throwback, to the days when Celtics ownership happily paid luxury taxes throughout the era of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pagliuca isn’t sure the team will re-enter tax-land next summer, but if exceeding the tax line means once again having an annual chance of reaching the NBA Finals, then the co-owner says so be it.

“I don’t know if it’s inevitable, but if we feel it’s going to help us win a championship, then we will,” he said. “We have a history of doing what we need to do to win.

Source: Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald