NBA Rumors: Making 30 incredibly bold predictions for the 2025 calendar year in the Association.
As the 2024 calendar year continues to tick down, it's only natural to begin to look forward to the new year. Filled with hope, 2025 will offer many teams the opportunity for a new start (theoretical speaking). As we inch closer to the turn of the calendar, we make 30 incredibly bold team-specific predictions for 2025.
Atlanta Hawks
1 Bold prediction: Trae Young will be traded after this season
With the way the early season has unfolded, the Atlanta Hawks are almost certainly going to be in the playoff picture of the Eastern Conference for the entire season. However, they're still not the threat that perhaps the front office would want them to be. That could lead to the team making a big move during the offseason. One bold prediction for the Hawks heading into 2025 is that they will trade Trae Young.
Young is still a good player and has made strides as a playmaker this year. However, because he probably doesn't fit the adjusted timeline of the Hawks, it probably would make much more sense for the team to trade him sooner rather than later. I believe that it's something that will eventually happen.
Boston Celtics
1 Bold prediction: The Boston Celtics will lose in the playoffs
The Boston Celtics won 64 games during last year's regular season and cruised their way toward their first NBA Championship since the 2008 season. Returning the same roster, the expectation was that the Celtics would replicate much of what they managed to do last year. However, at least two start this season, the Celtics have fallen off their win pace from last year. Boston could still win 60 games during the regular season but that's far from a certainty at this point. In fact, I'd go on to say that they're one big question mark heading into the postseason.
One of my bold predictions for the 2025 calendar year is that the Boston Celtics will lose in the playoffs and not make the NBA Finals. Make no mistake; the Celtics are going to be a tough out in the postseason but there is at least one other team in the Eastern Conference that has the ability to knock them off. It's incredibly difficult for a team to repeat as champions and, ultimately, I believe the Celtics will fall short.