Post by Admin on Jun 26, 2021 17:21:43 GMT -5
3 potential outcomes for Cs come draft night
by Chris Conte
by Chris Conte
For the past couple of seasons, the Boston Celtics have had the luxury of being in the lottery multiple times.
In some years, they were in the top 3; in others, they were on the outside looking in.
Regardless, this summer will be much different.
Not only are the Cs not in the lottery after trading Kemba Walker to the Thunder for Al Horford, but they also do not own a first-round pick in this draft.
As a team with two cemented stars that have not even hit their primes yet, not having a mid first-round selection is not necessarily the end of the world. However, with the Boston Celtics looking to open up a max slot next summer to sign a Bradley Beal, Stephen Curry, or even Zach LaVine, they’ll need assets to trade with contracts to free up this space.
They will also need players on minimum deals to contribute to the roster when they have three max contracts on the books.
These players can come in the form of veterans, taking minimums to extend their career, or they could come in the form of players one, two, or three years into the league.
In this year’s draft class, there is an abundance of players the Boston Celtics could take who fit that mold.
They will come in NBA-ready and not cost the Cs more than a dime.
With no first-round pick and only one second-round pick, Boston’s chance of drafting a player or two like that is slim to none, which is why Brad Stevens needs to assure they add some young talent from one of the most stacked drafts in recent memory.
This article will go over some possible outcomes in the draft, which is more favorable for the Celtics:
Outcome No. 1) The Boston Celtics trade back into the first round
Teams will look to move up, down, or out in a very deep draft class with talent from top to bottom.
Teams in the lottery are unlikely to move out of the lottery, seeing as the prospects that will be available are better than anyone they could get outside of this area on the board.
However, teams outside of the lottery may be looking to move off of their first-round pick. For example, the Clippers, Lakers, and Nets may all look to move on from their selection to add older and more experienced players to support their older stars.
Enter the Celtics.
Boston could swoop in by offering future draft capital for one of those organizations to trade or offering an immediate contributor.
With the Nets lacking size in the frontcourt, they could be a potential suitor for Tristan Thompson, who the Boston Celtics want to move off now that they have Al Horford. Teams like the Lakers and Clippers, who are short on future draft capital, could take one of the C’s future firsts in return for their 2021 first-rounder.
The dilemma here is that Brad Stevens hinted he did not just trade the 16th pick because Presti demanded it.
Most high first-rounders make around $5 million for three years or so, which is $5 million Stevens could be spending elsewhere. So instead, Stevens opted to take Moses Brown‘s minimum contract instead of selecting a high caliber but expensive rookie.
However, as the draft goes on, rookie contracts get cheaper.
The 30th pick does not get paid the same as the 16th pick in the draft, so the chances of the Cs trading into the first are still very much alive. It’s just more likely that they trade into the late 20s than they do back into the teens.
But, if Stevens opts to save every last penny he can, there is still a way for the Celtics to net someone in this draft.
Teams will look to move up, down, or out in a very deep draft class with talent from top to bottom.
Teams in the lottery are unlikely to move out of the lottery, seeing as the prospects that will be available are better than anyone they could get outside of this area on the board.
However, teams outside of the lottery may be looking to move off of their first-round pick. For example, the Clippers, Lakers, and Nets may all look to move on from their selection to add older and more experienced players to support their older stars.
Enter the Celtics.
Boston could swoop in by offering future draft capital for one of those organizations to trade or offering an immediate contributor.
With the Nets lacking size in the frontcourt, they could be a potential suitor for Tristan Thompson, who the Boston Celtics want to move off now that they have Al Horford. Teams like the Lakers and Clippers, who are short on future draft capital, could take one of the C’s future firsts in return for their 2021 first-rounder.
The dilemma here is that Brad Stevens hinted he did not just trade the 16th pick because Presti demanded it.
Most high first-rounders make around $5 million for three years or so, which is $5 million Stevens could be spending elsewhere. So instead, Stevens opted to take Moses Brown‘s minimum contract instead of selecting a high caliber but expensive rookie.
However, as the draft goes on, rookie contracts get cheaper.
The 30th pick does not get paid the same as the 16th pick in the draft, so the chances of the Cs trading into the first are still very much alive. It’s just more likely that they trade into the late 20s than they do back into the teens.
But, if Stevens opts to save every last penny he can, there is still a way for the Celtics to net someone in this draft.
Outcome No. 2) The Boston Celtics trade up in the second round
I know, I know, the Boston Celtics’ history in the second round is not a pretty one.
They have had little success finding talent later in the draft and have been even worse developing. However, this year’s second-round is different than other years. Most of the players projected in the second round would be first-round picks in any other draft.
So please think of this year’s second-round as a budget first round because that is what it is.
Players drafted in the second are signed to partially or non-guaranteed contracts, which is a big plus for the Boston Celtics looking to create as much cap space next summer as financially possible.
They can take one or two second-round prospects, throw them into the fire this season and see if they can make something happen.
If they show signs of potential, Boston can guarantee their minimum contract and keep them on the roster to support their new Big-3 next summer or they can trade them when their value is highest and net some veterans in return to round out the 2022-23 rotation.
Second-round picks are a very tradable, very cap-friendly, and very low-risk, high-reward asset. If Stevens wants to draft a contributor, he’ll likely take a third or fourth-year college pro, but if he wants to gamble and recruit a prospect with a low floor but a high ceiling, he can find a 19-year-old in the second round that matches that description.
Trading up in the second round is the most favorable outcome for the Cs, and there is not a team in the second round that is overly protective of their pick.
I know, I know, the Boston Celtics’ history in the second round is not a pretty one.
They have had little success finding talent later in the draft and have been even worse developing. However, this year’s second-round is different than other years. Most of the players projected in the second round would be first-round picks in any other draft.
So please think of this year’s second-round as a budget first round because that is what it is.
Players drafted in the second are signed to partially or non-guaranteed contracts, which is a big plus for the Boston Celtics looking to create as much cap space next summer as financially possible.
They can take one or two second-round prospects, throw them into the fire this season and see if they can make something happen.
If they show signs of potential, Boston can guarantee their minimum contract and keep them on the roster to support their new Big-3 next summer or they can trade them when their value is highest and net some veterans in return to round out the 2022-23 rotation.
Second-round picks are a very tradable, very cap-friendly, and very low-risk, high-reward asset. If Stevens wants to draft a contributor, he’ll likely take a third or fourth-year college pro, but if he wants to gamble and recruit a prospect with a low floor but a high ceiling, he can find a 19-year-old in the second round that matches that description.
Trading up in the second round is the most favorable outcome for the Cs, and there is not a team in the second round that is overly protective of their pick.
Outcome No. 3) The Boston Celtics stand pat
Standing pat would be the least favorable outcome on draft night, but, if they sit on one second-round pick and don’t attempt to move up or out of the draft, they will take a massive risk.
Only getting one prospect in this draft would be detrimental to the team’s asset pool, especially seeing that Brad Stevens would be selecting a player in the late 40s.
Boston needs to make sure they net at least one top-40 player from this draft class (ideally two) so that they have the assets to make moves the following summer.
It is imperative that the Boston Celtics stock their roster with trade assets for the next offseason.
They will have to create cap space by trading some of their role players like Fournier, Al Horford, or even Smart.
They may have to attach assets to those contracts to move off of them without bringing back too much salary so that they keep their books open.
In a draft like this, if the Cs net even one player who shows potential, teams will be more likely to eat the team’s salary than they would without the prospect.
There’s also the matter of roster depth.
With the Celtics already tight on money and Fournier and Smart heading towards new deals, money will only get tighter.
With this, Boston needs to find a way to round out their roster while staying under the hard cap line to have options at the trade deadline.
One way to keep themselves under the cap threshold is by investing in players on their rookie deals instead of breaking the bank on veterans.
Boston saw this with Grant Williams last season, and they saw it with Robert Williams this season.
Both became contributors to the team and won them a playoff series in Grant Williams’ case.
Although Stevens is far from a fan of young players, it’s better to have them than be up against the cap apron.
Standing pat would be the least favorable outcome on draft night, but, if they sit on one second-round pick and don’t attempt to move up or out of the draft, they will take a massive risk.
Only getting one prospect in this draft would be detrimental to the team’s asset pool, especially seeing that Brad Stevens would be selecting a player in the late 40s.
Boston needs to make sure they net at least one top-40 player from this draft class (ideally two) so that they have the assets to make moves the following summer.
It is imperative that the Boston Celtics stock their roster with trade assets for the next offseason.
They will have to create cap space by trading some of their role players like Fournier, Al Horford, or even Smart.
They may have to attach assets to those contracts to move off of them without bringing back too much salary so that they keep their books open.
In a draft like this, if the Cs net even one player who shows potential, teams will be more likely to eat the team’s salary than they would without the prospect.
There’s also the matter of roster depth.
With the Celtics already tight on money and Fournier and Smart heading towards new deals, money will only get tighter.
With this, Boston needs to find a way to round out their roster while staying under the hard cap line to have options at the trade deadline.
One way to keep themselves under the cap threshold is by investing in players on their rookie deals instead of breaking the bank on veterans.
Boston saw this with Grant Williams last season, and they saw it with Robert Williams this season.
Both became contributors to the team and won them a playoff series in Grant Williams’ case.
Although Stevens is far from a fan of young players, it’s better to have them than be up against the cap apron.
