2024 NBA Draft Thread – (June 26 & 27)

[Curmudgeon]

Ware took a grand total of 40 treys last year (and made 17). That's a pretty small sample size to annoint him as a "legit floor spacer." He's just someone's shiny new toy.

He didn't him as anoint a legit floor spacer. He simply said Ware "has a chance of being a legit floor spacer and is 20", which is true.

He has a chance.

Every guy in the draft "has a chance". What you need to do is find the ones who are motivated enough to make their own luck.

If Stevens trades during the draft, I expect him to move down, not up, or to trade one or two current picks for future picks. It's a championship team whose top 8 guys are set. Last thing they need is another guaranteed rookie contract that costs them 4 times as much given their tax position, for a guy who will likely spend the season in Maine.

[Dogen]

Kolek to the Suns is not surprising. They may view him as a Nash type player and they had Dragic too,
whom he is compared to...

Tankathon has Filipowski at 20 and that may be where the Celtics have to trade up to,
if they want him. 2024 & 2026 (Lottery Protected) Firsts along with the best of Boston's 2025 Seconds to move up?
That may or may not be enough, but I suspect to trade up in the Draft is going to be more costly than what people think.

I'm all in favor of paying the draft costs and moving up for a player who can have an immediate and lasting impact,
especially with the Celtics so taxed out and options at improving limited...

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

I think that's 2 firsts and a 2nd. Still a bit high in a relatively flat draft. Brad would need to really want a player to be willing to give up that much capital to move up. I'm also in favor of getting the "immediate impact" player, but what guarantee is there of that happening? Maybe, if the other team makes the pick with Celtics in mind and then trades down. I just don't see Brad taking that risk on an untested player.

Also, after C's getting #18, teams may not be interested in helping us out. Teams like Cavs, NY, Bucks, 76ers, Heat in that mid-first round especially.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

Kolek to the Suns is not surprising. They may view him as a Nash type player and they had Dragic too,
whom he is compared to...

Tankathon has Filipowski at 20 and that may be where the Celtics have to trade up to,
if they want him. 2024 & 2026 (Lottery Protected) Firsts along with the best of Boston's 2025 Seconds to move up?
That may or may not be enough, but I suspect to trade up in the Draft is going to be more costly than what people think.

I'm all in favor of paying the draft costs and moving up for a player who can have an immediate and lasting impact,
especially with the Celtics so taxed out and options at improving limited...

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

I think that's 2 firsts and a 2nd. Still a bit high in a relatively flat draft. Brad would need to really want a player to be willing to give up that much capital to move up. I'm also in favor of getting the "immediate impact" player, but what guarantee is there of that happening? Maybe, if the other team makes the pick with Celtics in mind and then trades down. I just don't see Brad taking that risk on an untested player.

Also, after C's getting #18, teams may not be interested in helping us out. Teams like Cavs, NY, Bucks, 76ers, Heat in that mid-first round especially.

Even in a flat draft, moving up 10 spots is no easy piece of cake or even a Boston Cream Pie.
I'm fairly confident that Filipowski, Kolek and Baylor will be good to very good NBA players, so I would do it.

The Repeater Clause for teams over the 2nd Apron is such a Dynasty Killer, that you basically have to move out
Horford and another one of the quality bench players after next season to stay under the 2nd Apron, so you better
find a quality replacement in this Draft.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

Ware took a grand total of 40 treys last year (and made 17). That's a pretty small sample size to annoint him as a "legit floor spacer." He's just someone's shiny new toy.

He didn't him as anoint a legit floor spacer. He simply said Ware "has a chance of being a legit floor spacer and is 20", which is true.

He has a chance.

Every guy in the draft "has a chance". What you need to do is find the ones who are motivated enough to make their own luck.

If Stevens trades during the draft, I expect him to move down, not up, or to trade one or two current picks for future picks. It's a championship team whose top 8 guys are set. Last thing they need is another guaranteed rookie contract that costs them 4 times as much given their tax position, for a guy who will likely spend the season in Maine.

He should trade up.

His second round picks have been non entities so far.

Kolek, Baylor and Filipowski can all contribute next season - we're not talking about Walsh or Davison here - these guys are the
real deal and will be loved by the Boston fans and have an immediate impact toward the next Championship.

[RickyDizzle]

Kolek to the Suns is not surprising. They may view him as a Nash type player and they had Dragic too,
whom he is compared to...

Tankathon has Filipowski at 20 and that may be where the Celtics have to trade up to,
if they want him. 2024 & 2026 (Lottery Protected) Firsts along with the best of Boston's 2025 Seconds to move up?
That may or may not be enough, but I suspect to trade up in the Draft is going to be more costly than what people think.

I'm all in favor of paying the draft costs and moving up for a player who can have an immediate and lasting impact,
especially with the Celtics so taxed out and options at improving limited...

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

The 30th pick, a second rounder and a Lottery Protected Pick are not 3 Firsts - And it's expensive to move up in the Draft, especially 10 spots.

Ask Danny Ainge...

Watch on YouTube

My bad, was thinking of 2024 as some year out in the future, lol. 2 1sts is pretty reasonable since our firsts will suck anyway.

[RickyDizzle]

Kolek to the Suns is not surprising. They may view him as a Nash type player and they had Dragic too,
whom he is compared to...

Tankathon has Filipowski at 20 and that may be where the Celtics have to trade up to,
if they want him. 2024 & 2026 (Lottery Protected) Firsts along with the best of Boston's 2025 Seconds to move up?
That may or may not be enough, but I suspect to trade up in the Draft is going to be more costly than what people think.

I'm all in favor of paying the draft costs and moving up for a player who can have an immediate and lasting impact,
especially with the Celtics so taxed out and options at improving limited...

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

I think that's 2 firsts and a 2nd. Still a bit high in a relatively flat draft. Brad would need to really want a player to be willing to give up that much capital to move up. I'm also in favor of getting the "immediate impact" player, but what guarantee is there of that happening? Maybe, if the other team makes the pick with Celtics in mind and then trades down. I just don't see Brad taking that risk on an untested player.

Also, after C's getting #18, teams may not be interested in helping us out. Teams like Cavs, NY, Bucks, 76ers, Heat in that mid-first round especially.

Yeah I messed that up, I'm pretty cool with it now that I understand correctly.

[playa-hater]

Still don't know what 3 or 4 centers I like most But damn it, Me wants a mid-first rd center talent.. and Me wants it now!!

** on a more serious note, Centers are the only position that can go south on us pretty quickly. Imagine trying to repeat and KP goes down again. Al won't even play in B2B..If one of Kornet/X-man leaves or even worse, both... We have former 2 way Queta as our main guy. Of which even if he surprises, will still probably get into Foul trouble.

How often can Boston get a Legit young prospect at center? Not that easy..

Make it happen Brad!!

[celticgreenie]

Still don't know what 3 or 4 centers I like most But damn it, Me wants a mid-first rd center talent.. and Me wants it now!!

** on a more serious note, Centers are the only position that can go south on us pretty quickly. Imagine trying to repeat and KP goes down again. Al won't even play in B2B..If one of Kornet/X-man leaves or even worse, both... We have former 2 way Queta as our main guy. Of which even if he surprises, will still probably get into Foul trouble.

How often can Boston get a Legit young prospect at center? Not that easy..

Make it happen Brad!!

Plus, based on draft reports there doesn't seem to be much big men to draft next year unlike this year.

[165bows]

Tankathon 31-35 is a pretty good run right now. Scheierman, Dunn, Dadiet, Mccullar (who I’m not sure they would go after), and AJ Johnson.

A couple stash type guys and role guys. I like those better than their last five in the first of Kolek, Smith, Holmes, Tyson and Klintman.

To clarify some of those guys I’ve gotten less enamored of -

Kolek - might be a player but way too redundant with Pritchard.

Tyler Smith - could be way off but just doesn’t seem like a high bball iq guy.

Holmes - kind of seems like the whole package but I’m skeptical that he is big and physical enough. He’s the archetype of what teams are looking for but I feel like he may be in the Wendell Carter Jr mold where somehow the sum of the parts doesn’t create the end result promised. Ie, Al is a bit undersized but he’s super smart on the court and super strong and that strength element along with knowing how to play is tough to assess and reproduce and isn’t just a given that guys have it.

Tyson - becoming suspicious he stinks on defense. Maybe more of a Spencer Dinwiddie mold which I don’t think they are looking for.

Klintman - always had major Skal Labissiere vibes with that guy.

OTOH:

Scheierman upside of maybe the better combo of Pritchard and Hauser in one guy

Dunn - kind of wrote him off a long time ago but Virginia is a weird style of play ball club and might be back in on the upside there, plus he’s still fairly young. They’ve also been stacking tough defenders lately in Walsh, Tillman and Springer.

Dadiet and Johnson - kind of ignored those guys as overhyped guys in foreign leagues but a higher upside stash would def fit this team right now with their roster.

Also really like Freeman’s size, athleticism and skill combo. If not that group, then trade back for a 4 and score extra picks with someone from the Watson, LeDee, Levy kind of player that’s king and versatile in D and has some basic offensive capabilities.

It does seem like a lot of bigger guys in this draft even some of the less heralded centers could be decent future backups. I’m probably over analyzing it but the size and length difference in the finals game 4 vs game 5 still just really sticking out for me. Get some guys that have some athleticism, length and enough skill to develop.

I do believe this team really trusts and believes in its ability to develop players attributes hence their recent draft selections.

[Dogen]

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

I think that's 2 firsts and a 2nd. Still a bit high in a relatively flat draft. Brad would need to really want a player to be willing to give up that much capital to move up. I'm also in favor of getting the "immediate impact" player, but what guarantee is there of that happening? Maybe, if the other team makes the pick with Celtics in mind and then trades down. I just don't see Brad taking that risk on an untested player.

Also, after C's getting #18, teams may not be interested in helping us out. Teams like Cavs, NY, Bucks, 76ers, Heat in that mid-first round especially.

Even in a flat draft, moving up 10 spots is no easy piece of cake or even a Boston Cream Pie.
I'm fairly confident that Filipowski, Kolek and Baylor will be good to very good NBA players, so I would do it.

The Repeater Clause for teams over the 2nd Apron is such a Dynasty Killer, that you basically have to move out
Horford and another one of the quality bench players after next season to stay under the 2nd Apron, so you better
find a quality replacement in this Draft.

good to hear that you have that conviction in a few players. Thing is, does Brad have that conviction, or is he willing to let the chips fall where they may and maybe pick up one of them at 30? All it takes is a couple of late risers, and boom, Filipowski is there. Or maybe available in the 26-29 range and then trade 30 + 2nd to move up a few spots.

I agree overall with the "draft a guy ready to contribute" thesis. However, for a team going into 2024-25 with aspirations to defend the title, what are the odds that Brad finds a rookie that Joe is going to play in the playoffs? I dunno, good luck.

But getting regular season help is fine. Outside of immediate contributors like Filipowski and Kolek, I'm also OK with taking a big swing and grabbing an AJ Johnson, someone who may pay dividends in a couple years, while adding the 2025 depth via trade or fee agency.

[djFan71]

Spoiler:

Tankathon 31-35 is a pretty good run right now. Scheierman, Dunn, Dadiet, Mccullar (who I’m not sure they would go after), and AJ Johnson.

A couple stash type guys and role guys. I like those better than their last five in the first of Kolek, Smith, Holmes, Tyson and Klintman.

To clarify some of those guys I’ve gotten less enamored of -

Kolek - might be a player but way too redundant with Pritchard.

Tyler Smith - could be way off but just doesn’t seem like a high bball iq guy.

Holmes - kind of seems like the whole package but I’m skeptical that he is big and physical enough. He’s the archetype of what teams are looking for but I feel like he may be in the Wendell Carter Jr mold where somehow the sum of the parts doesn’t create the end result promised. Ie, Al is a bit undersized but he’s super smart on the court and super strong and that strength element along with knowing how to play is tough to assess and reproduce and isn’t just a given that guys have it.

Tyson - becoming suspicious he stinks on defense. Maybe more of a Spencer Dinwiddie mold which I don’t think they are looking for.

Klintman - always had major Skal Labissiere vibes with that guy.

OTOH:

Scheierman upside of maybe the better combo of Pritchard and Hauser in one guy

Dunn - kind of wrote him off a long time ago but Virginia is a weird style of play ball club and might be back in on the upside there, plus he’s still fairly young. They’ve also been stacking tough defenders lately in Walsh, Tillman and Springer.

Dadiet and Johnson - kind of ignored those guys as overhyped guys in foreign leagues but a higher upside stash would def fit this team right now with their roster.

Also really like Freeman’s size, athleticism and skill combo. If not that group, then trade back for a 4 and score extra picks with someone from the Watson, LeDee, Levy kind of player that’s king and versatile in D and has some basic offensive capabilities.

It does seem like a lot of bigger guys in this draft even some of the less heralded centers could be decent future backups. I’m probably over analyzing it but the size and length difference in the finals game 4 vs game 5 still just really sticking out for me. Get some guys that have some athleticism, length and enough skill to develop.

I do believe this team really trusts and believes in its ability to develop players attributes hence their recent draft selections.

WCJ a great comp for Holmes. I loved WCJ too and he's been good and all, but with injuries and all he hasn't hit the ceiling you want. I still like him, though. Agree on Dadiet and Johnson too - I've ignored them, but maybe it is worth a shot. Flowers too. Just last night I added them back to my list. Esp if you can stash and not start the clock. I haven't come back to Dunn yet, the shooting and existence of Walsh makes me look elsewhere.

Doubtful: Da Silva, Daron Holmes, Jaylon Tyson, Kyle Filipowski

30: Ajay Mitchell, Baylor Scheierman
30 if stash: AJ Johnson, Pacome Dadiet, Trentyn Flowers

Trade back: Jalen Bridges. Ulrich Chomche, Jaylen Wells, Keshad Johnson, Jonathon Mogbo

54: Adam Bona, Enrique Freeman, Oso Ighodora, Trey Alexander, Tristan Newton

[max powers]

Tankathon has us taking Bobi Klintman at 30. Tall, 6'10", athletic strong on 3s and transition game, sloppy handle with way too many TOs, bad decision making. I think he'd be a great pick with lots of potential upside at 30.

[redslastlaugh]

Because our roster spots are quite limited, our draft strategy will be affected by Oshae Brissetts option decision (due by tomorrow) and the teams internal discussions with their own FAs (Kornet, Tillman, etc) that are ongoing. If they bring everyone back, then it’s probably a draft-and-stash or trade out situation.

I’m really interested in Brissett decision and think it’s more likely he does NOT pick up his player option. Should find out soon.

[Celts17Pride]

Very curious to see how bold Brad Stevens is in this draft. Could a future 1st round pick be in play or will Brad Stevens play it save and do something similar to last year?

Like I said, I’m curious to see how Brad Stevens plays this given the draft is his only real way to get better

[keevsnick1]

Kolek to the Suns is not surprising. They may view him as a Nash type player and they had Dragic too,
whom he is compared to...

Tankathon has Filipowski at 20 and that may be where the Celtics have to trade up to,
if they want him. 2024 & 2026 (Lottery Protected) Firsts along with the best of Boston's 2025 Seconds to move up?
That may or may not be enough, but I suspect to trade up in the Draft is going to be more costly than what people think.

I'm all in favor of paying the draft costs and moving up for a player who can have an immediate and lasting impact,
especially with the Celtics so taxed out and options at improving limited...

So trade 3 firsts and a 2nd to move from 30 to 20? Yikes.

The 30th pick, a second rounder and a Lottery Protected Pick are not 3 Firsts - And it's expensive to move up in the Draft, especially 10 spots.

Ask Danny Ainge...

Watch on YouTube

So calibrating draft pick trades can be difficult, but based on passed precedent it would probably be possible to move up into the early twenties without giving up a future first.

The best of Was/Det/Dal/GSW pick Boston has next year is probably the single most valuable second rounder out there. That and number 30 should be able to get you up to about say 24-26 based on past deals. Add another good second or two mid seconds to that and you can probably get up to about 21-22.

It doesn't so much matter at what position exactly, but Center is the most immediate need.

The issue isn't so much value as just finding a team in those ranges that actually wants to do business with you, because sometimes teams just won't want to trade even if the expected value is good for them.

Thats why I've proposed a trade with the knicks at #24 or #25 since they may want to pick up future assets, or maybe with Phoenix at #22 since they may want to "break up" their pick into smaller pieces to help fill out their barren roster.

I'd say based on past experience it feels unlikely Brad will want to move up, but on the other hand Boston now finds themselves in a situation they've never been in before. The 2nd apron restriction makes it VERY difficult to bring in anybody but minimum salaries this summer, and their set top 8 makes it hard to offer playing time to vets. Maybe in that context they prioritize finding a rookie first rounder they feed some developmental minutes to this year but who really ends up being a 2-3 year developmental project. In that regard shooting center feels like the biggest need.

The truth is the Celtics will NEED to hit on at least player who devlops into a starter level guy in the next 2-3 drafts if they wnat to extend their window. They need a young guy who eventually takes over one of these 30 million dollar slots for much cheaper if they want to have staying power as a contender.

[Celts17Pride]

I would be bold and offer Pritchard, 30th pick and next year’s first round pick and see how far up this draft I could get.

Once you know how far up you could get then evaluate who could be there an if it’s worth it.

Celtics could get a good player and help their cap situation in one trade.

By the way, I would only consider it if it got me in the 13-18 range and there was a player I liked still available

[Dogen]

Tankathon has us taking Bobi Klintman at 30. Tall, 6'10", athletic strong on 3s and transition game, sloppy handle with way too many TOs, bad decision making. I think he'd be a great pick with lots of potential upside at 30.

The bold part is secret code for "Joe will make sure he never sees the floor"

[max powers]

The bold part is secret code for "Joe will make sure he never sees the floor"

He has great tools to play a limited role, Hauser 2.0. Make 3s especially corner threes, play defense with good size and mobility, be dynamic on the break. Joe can let him know he's not a dribble create guy whatsoever in half court offense, and if he gives away the ball he sits.

[redslastlaugh]

Dunno if we’re stick of Substack draft analysts yet …. buuuuut … Logan Eby final big board, write ups on the top 76 draftable prospects.

https://loganeby.substack.com/p/final-2024-big-board

[Smart2Nesmith43]

I would be bold and offer Pritchard, 30th pick and next year’s first round pick and see how far up this draft I could get.

Once you know how far up you could get then evaluate who could be there an if it’s worth it.

Celtics could get a good player and help their cap situation in one trade.

By the way, I would only consider it if it got me in the 13-18 range and there was a player I liked still available

You trade away Pritchard and the only NBA guards left on the roster are Derrick White and a 34 year old Jrue Holiday coming off a finals run + the Olympics. No reason to create that kind of hole in your rotation unless you have to and the Celtics don't have to.