2025 NBA Mock Draft: What would a trade up look like for Celtics? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
For the better part of Brad Stevens’ tenure as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, draft picks have been a bit of an afterthought.
Stevens didn’t make a first-round pick in his first three years at the helm, preferring to utilize those assets to reshape the complementary pieces around the superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That strategy delivered Boston to two NBA Finals appearances in three years, and helped the team raise Banner 18 in 2024.
But a new collective bargaining agreement is forcing teams to prioritize drafting and developing in order to piece together the complicated financial puzzle that comes with building around two big-ticket stars. Hitting on first-round picks has never felt more important for contending teams.
All of which has us pondering all of Boston’s potential pathways in the 2025 draft. Given the murky nature of the season ahead, might this be a good time for Stevens to flip the draft-day script and ponder shimmying up in the annual pick-a-palooza?
The case for Celtics trading up
The absence of Tatum as he rehabs from Achilles surgery could change Boston’s regular-season priorities. The development of younger talent should be a bigger emphasis than the past three seasons, when the Celtics were laser-focused on title pursuits.
In a quest to find low-cost talent to pair with whatever remains of this championship core, the Celtics could give beefed-up minutes to recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, while also leaning heavily into any rookie they moved up to select.
Any expected growing pains are slightly offset by tempered expectations while Tatum is out, and the Celtics would embrace developing the players selected during the Stevens era.
The case against Celtics trading up
Much of what the Celtics do this summer will be steered by money.
The Celtics need to cut $20 million from next year’s payroll just to get off the punitive second apron, and they’d need to trim $20 million more to get below the luxury tax. Moving up in the draft slots a player at a higher annual salary.
What’s more, moving up would eliminate other swings of the bat, a risk given the crapshoot nature of picking outside the lottery.
How high can Celtics climb?
The Celtics currently own picks Nos. 28 and 32 in the 2025 NBA Draft. Unlike the NFL, there’s no widely-accepted NBA draft pick value chart, which makes it difficult to gauge just how high the Celtics might be able to climb if they packaged both their 2025 picks in hopes of shimmying up for a desired target.
Some old-school charts, like one created by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, suggest Boston might be able to get into the low 20s. More recent attempts to establish draft value suggest Boston might only be able to climb a handful of spots.
For the purposes of this exercise, the Celtics are calling the Hawks, who are slotted at Nos. 13 and 22, with the goal of moving up six spots for a player who lingers on the board coming out of the lottery.
The Hawks slide back, content with what they got at 13 and now armed with additional swings of the bat.
Let’s get to the trade-centric mock:
1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Duke
2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
3. Philadelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
The Sixers wish this was the year they could move from No. 3 to No. 1, instead of 2017.
If we were Daryl Morey, we’d be moving the No. 3 pick this year for the best available veteran and crossing our fingers on Joel Embiid’s health next season. They’ll have another lottery pick next year if that doesn’t work out.
4. Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey, Rutgers
5. Utah Jazz: Kon Knueppel, Duke
6. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, Texas
7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
The Pelicans now have picks Nos. 7 and 23 after swinging a deal with the Pacers during the middle of the NBA Finals. New general manager Joe Dumars can make a splash by trying to move up in the draft, but he stands pat in this scenario.
8. Brooklyn Nets: Noa Essengue, France
9. Toronto Raptors: Khaman Maluach, Duke
10. Houston Rockets (via Suns): Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
The Rockets are almost certainly going to take a swing this summer, and it sure feels like the No. 10 pick could be a centerpiece of whatever they do.
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Carter Bryant, Arizona
12. Chicago Bulls: Derik Queen, Maryland
13. Atlanta Hawks (via Kings): Egor Demin, BYU
The Hawks get an intriguing young guard with their first pick and can hunt a big man when they’re back on the clock with Boston’s No. 28 pick.
14. San Antonio Spurs (via Hawks): Nique Clifford, Colorado State
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Heat): Asa Newell, Georgia
Newell is the move-up prize we might covet most for the Celtics, but the Thunder are so well stocked that they can roll the dice on his intriguing upside.
16. Memphis Grizzlies (via Magic): Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Pistons): Drake Powell, North Carolina
18. Washington Wizards (via Grizzlies): Cedric Coward, Washington State
19. Brooklyn Nets (via Bucks): Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
You never want to draft for need. But undeniably, with all the uncertainty in the Celtics’ frontcourt, it feels important for Boston to at least prioritize size.
If Sorber is still on the board in the late teens, he’s a very intriguing move-up option with his two-way potential.
20. Miami Heat (via Warriors): Danny Wolf, Michigan
21. Utah Jazz (via Wolves): Will Riley, Illinois
22. Boston Celtics (via Hawks): Joan Beringer, France
Look, do I have a thing for shot-blocking, lob-finishing big men? Obviously. (Miss you, Rob.)
The Celtics need an injection of youth and athleticism, and they get all of that in a player who will still be 18 when the NBA season tips.
Normally, we’d be thinking draft-and-stash with a pick like this, but we’re wondering if you could throw him right to the wolves (the Minnesota version and beyond) and let him learn on the NBA job.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (via Pacers): Nolan Traore, France
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers): Noah Penda, France
Three Frenchmen in a row?! The L’Hexagone Trois? Aww, oui oui.
25. Orlando Magic (via Nuggets): Liam McNeeley, UConn
26. Brooklyn Nets (via Knicks): Jase Richardson, Michigan State
27. Brooklyn Nets (via Rockets): Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
28. Atlanta Hawks (via Celtics): Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
29. Phoenix Suns (via Suns): Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
30. Los Angeles Clippers (via Thunder): Hugo Gonzalez, Spain
2025 NBA Mock Draft: What would a trade up look like for Celtics?
Should Boston swing a draft-night deal?
For the better part of Brad Stevens’ tenure as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, draft picks have been a bit of an afterthought.
Stevens didn’t make a first-round pick in his first three years at the helm, preferring to utilize those assets to reshape the complementary pieces around the superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That strategy delivered Boston to two NBA Finals appearances in three years, and helped the team raise Banner 18 in 2024.
But a new collective bargaining agreement is forcing teams to prioritize drafting and developing in order to piece together the complicated financial puzzle that comes with building around two big-ticket stars. Hitting on first-round picks has never felt more important for contending teams.
SIGN UP HERE All of which has us pondering all of Boston’s potential pathways in the 2025 draft. Given the murky nature of the season ahead, might this be a good time for Stevens to flip the draft-day script and ponder shimmying up in the annual pick-a-palooza?
MORE CELTICS COVERAGE
The case for Celtics trading up
The absence of Tatum as he rehabs from Achilles surgery could change Boston’s regular-season priorities. The development of younger talent should be a bigger emphasis than the past three seasons, when the Celtics were laser-focused on title pursuits.
In a quest to find low-cost talent to pair with whatever remains of this championship core, the Celtics could give beefed-up minutes to recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, while also leaning heavily into any rookie they moved up to select.
Any expected growing pains are slightly offset by tempered expectations while Tatum is out, and the Celtics would embrace developing the players selected during the Stevens era.
The case against Celtics trading up
Much of what the Celtics do this summer will be steered by money.
The Celtics need to cut $20 million from next year’s payroll just to get off the punitive second apron, and they’d need to trim $20 million more to get below the luxury tax. Moving up in the draft slots a player at a higher annual salary.
What’s more, moving up would eliminate other swings of the bat, a risk given the crapshoot nature of picking outside the lottery.
How high can Celtics climb?
The Celtics currently own picks Nos. 28 and 32 in the 2025 NBA Draft. Unlike the NFL, there’s no widely-accepted NBA draft pick value chart, which makes it difficult to gauge just how high the Celtics might be able to climb if they packaged both their 2025 picks in hopes of shimmying up for a desired target.
Some old-school charts, like one created by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, suggest Boston might be able to get into the low 20s. More recent attempts to establish draft value suggest Boston might only be able to climb a handful of spots.
For the purposes of this exercise, the Celtics are calling the Hawks, who are slotted at Nos. 13 and 22, with the goal of moving up six spots for a player who lingers on the board coming out of the lottery.
The Hawks slide back, content with what they got at 13 and now armed with additional swings of the bat.
Let’s get to the trade-centric mock:
1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Duke
2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
3. Philadelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
The Sixers wish this was the year they could move from No. 3 to No. 1, instead of 2017.
If we were Daryl Morey, we’d be moving the No. 3 pick this year for the best available veteran and crossing our fingers on Joel Embiid’s health next season. They’ll have another lottery pick next year if that doesn’t work out.
4. Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey, Rutgers
5. Utah Jazz: Kon Knueppel, Duke
6. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, Texas
7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
The Pelicans now have picks Nos. 7 and 23 after swinging a deal with the Pacers during the middle of the NBA Finals. New general manager Joe Dumars can make a splash by trying to move up in the draft, but he stands pat in this scenario.
8. Brooklyn Nets: Noa Essengue, France
9. Toronto Raptors: Khaman Maluach, Duke
10. Houston Rockets (via Suns): Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
The Rockets are almost certainly going to take a swing this summer, and it sure feels like the No. 10 pick could be a centerpiece of whatever they do.
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Carter Bryant, Arizona
12. Chicago Bulls: Derik Queen, Maryland
13. Atlanta Hawks (via Kings): Egor Demin, BYU
The Hawks get an intriguing young guard with their first pick and can hunt a big man when they’re back on the clock with Boston’s No. 28 pick.
14. San Antonio Spurs (via Hawks): Nique Clifford, Colorado State
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Heat): Asa Newell, Georgia
Newell is the move-up prize we might covet most for the Celtics, but the Thunder are so well stocked that they can roll the dice on his intriguing upside.
16. Memphis Grizzlies (via Magic): Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Pistons): Drake Powell, North Carolina
18. Washington Wizards (via Grizzlies): Cedric Coward, Washington State
19. Brooklyn Nets (via Bucks): Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
You never want to draft for need. But undeniably, with all the uncertainty in the Celtics’ frontcourt, it feels important for Boston to at least prioritize size.
If Sorber is still on the board in the late teens, he’s a very intriguing move-up option with his two-way potential.
20. Miami Heat (via Warriors): Danny Wolf, Michigan
21. Utah Jazz (via Wolves): Will Riley, Illinois
22. Boston Celtics (via Hawks): Joan Beringer, France
Look, do I have a thing for shot-blocking, lob-finishing big men? Obviously. (Miss you, Rob.)
The Celtics need an injection of youth and athleticism, and they get all of that in a player who will still be 18 when the NBA season tips.
Normally, we’d be thinking draft-and-stash with a pick like this, but we’re wondering if you could throw him right to the wolves (the Minnesota version and beyond) and let him learn on the NBA job.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (via Pacers): Nolan Traore, France
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers): Noah Penda, France
Three Frenchmen in a row?! The L’Hexagone Trois? Aww, oui oui.
25. Orlando Magic (via Nuggets): Liam McNeeley, UConn
26. Brooklyn Nets (via Knicks): Jase Richardson, Michigan State
27. Brooklyn Nets (via Rockets): Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
28. Atlanta Hawks (via Celtics): Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
29. Phoenix Suns (via Suns): Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
30. Los Angeles Clippers (via Thunder): Hugo Gonzalez, Spain
