The Celtics will not be making any blockbuster moves this offseason after winning an NBA championship in dominant fashion. However, league sources tell MassLive that Brad Stevens and the rest of Boston’s front office have been busy exploring scenarios ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft starting on Wednesday night.
Boston holds the No. 30 and No. 54 (via Dallas) overall picks entering the two-night affair, which concludes on Thursday evening.
The Celtics talks have centered around the No. 30 pick, the final pick of the night on Wednesday but Boston has been shopping that selection in hopes of picking up additional draft compensation per a source. Boston’s front office is attempting to thread the needle between infusing some young talent into the franchise and adding more draft capital to the cupboard to add ammo for future moves. A closer look at their motives that could come into play if a deal gets done.
RESTOCKING THE DRAFT CUPBOARD
The Celtics made four separate trades on draft night last year in a successful effort to replenish their draft resources. Boston put much of that second-round capital to use last season, trading away a pair of second-round picks to the Grizzlies for Xavier Tillman at the trade deadline. They also traded what ended up being the No. 41 overall pick to the 76ers for Jaden Springer back in February.
Those moves have left Boston’s draft cupboard a little thin entering this offseason. The team still has all its own future first-round picks this decade before 2029 but they own just three second-round picks in total over the next couple of seasons. Those type of picks can be crucial for minor in-season trades, particularly for a second apron team like Boston now that can’t include cash in any deal.
The Celtics still have a couple of attractive second-round picks for 2025 and 2026 that were acquired last year but not much beyond that. Wednesday night will be another opportunity for Boston to reload on that front if they find an appealing offer for No. 30.
COST SAVINGS FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE SPLURGES
A league source tells MassLive that signing Sam Hauser and Derrick White to extensions this offseason is a priority for Boston and that could factor into Boston’s draft plans from a roster construction standpoint. One way of helping those types of deals get done while still maintaining a workable payroll is finding bargains for other parts of the roster.
Drafting second-round picks is one way to help on that front. The cap hits for players on the rookie minimum ($1.16 million) is far cheaper than a veteran’s minimum ($2.09 million) or the No. 30 pick ($2.5 million) when you figure in the luxury tax savings. Here’s an example for the cost savings if Boston traded down to a second-round pick that was signed to the 15-man roster.
Savings from No. 30 pick to second-round pick signing for the rookie minimum.
$1.35 million in salary
$3.25-4.25 million in luxury tax penalties savings
Total savings: $4.6-5.6 million
The money is guaranteed for these players for at least the first year or two but at a healthy percentage less of the cost the No. 30th pick would be making. If the Celtics end up agreeing to an extension with Hauser and giving him a huge bump from his $2 million salary for this season as part of the deal, saving a good chunk of money on any rookie picks could help considerably on this front. Boston worked this situation very well last year, moving down from No. 25 to No. 37 overall to select Jordan Walsh, getting a talented prospect on the cheap along with several additional picks for their moves.
Boston also holds the No. 54 overall pick in this draft and that’s a pick that would likely end up as a two-way player if Boston keeps that selection.
It will be an intriguing balance for Stevens to see how he navigates his options. Boston currently only has four roster spots open after Oshae Brissett opted out but there is interest in bringing back several current free agents at the right price, per league sources.
The Celtics will need to keep finding diamonds in the rough like Hauser or Payton Pritchard to sustain their depth over the long term. The search on that front begins again on Wednesday night.
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