Brad Stevens gets brutally honest on Celtics' draft prospects
06/25/2024 11:00 PM
The Boston Celtics experienced a lot of turnover on their way to banner No. 18. Franchise cornerstones were traded, coaching changes were made, and rosters were overhauled all in the name of another championship.
Despite the many shifts, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens was there for nearly all of it. He became the coach of the Green Team back in 2013 and led the C’s to multiple Eastern Conference Finals. While those squads never won it all, they built a winning foundation, which Stevens then improved upon once he was named the de facto general manager in 2021.
The Indiana native was one of the main architects behind the Celtics’ 2024 NBA title, as he acquired players like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis who immediately helped Boston get over the hump. For Stevens’ efforts, he was voted the 2024 NBA Executive of the Year.
Brad Stevens sighting
A fan yells "You saved my life!" pic.twitter.com/mFqjr7JxFr
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) June 21, 2024
Now that the championship festivities are over, Stevens is back to work and preparing for the upcoming draft. If the Celtics don’t opt for a trade, they’ll use the 30th and 54th overall picks.
Although many teams are hoping for a franchise-altering selection in the first round, Stevens was realistic about how a rookie would fit on the Celtics’ current roster, via Bobby Manning of Celtics CLNS.
“It will be hard for any draft pick to crack our rotation, when healthy,” Stevens admitted during a Tuesday morning press conference. “This will be a good opportunity to bring in somebody who we think will help us down the road.”
The Celtics are happy to have their first championship in over 15 years, but that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied. They’re aiming to run it back with their current core and find a player they can develop from this year’s draft.
“I anticipate picking a couple picks, and whether they’re on roster or two-way, investing in young players,” Stevens continued. “If they come in and crack our rotation, then they’re really good. That’ll be a good thing, too.”
Why the 2024 offseason might be calmer for the Celtics
Stevens isn’t taking a shot at the 2024 draft class. He’s just acknowledging that the C’s could return most of their high-end talent.
Porzingis, Holiday, and reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown are all under contract next season. Additionally, fellow starters Jayson Tatum and Derrick White could be receiving extensions this summer. That leaves no spots in the top five available for incoming rookies.
Even the next guys on the depth chart, like center Al Horford and point guard Payton Pritchard, are coming back for the 2024-25 campaign. Simply put, Boston’s 2024 draft picks probably won’t have an instant impact.
This long-term roster construction isn’t by accident. Stevens made most of his major roster moves last season before the new CBA fully kicked in.
“It’s one of the reasons why last year was the time to trade,” Stevens said of the CBA and its restrictions. “[That] was the time we could aggregate and that’s a big part of this. Now that you’re over the second apron, you can't aggregate in trades. So in both of our major trades last summer, that was part of it.”
The front office has invested tons of money into Boston’s roster, making luxury taxes and surpassing the second apron inevitable. However, as long as the Celtics can continue to raise banners, no one in charge is going to worry about the extra fees and handicaps.
Banner 18
Now we're on to 19 pic.twitter.com/sqsjdnYCXK
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) June 24, 2024
Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck offered his take on his spending habits in an era when teams are somewhat punished for going all in, via The Boston Globe:
“We will be paid in parades,” he said.
Boston has dreams of a dynasty, and the best way to assemble one might be through the draft. The new CBA isn’t conducive to splashy trades, especially for big spenders like the Celtics.
Instead, they’ll use their free draft picks to hopefully score a hidden gem late in the first (or second) round. After all, the Celtics’ 2024 championship stemmed from the 2016 and 2017 NBA Drafts, as Tatum and Brown are homegrown All-Stars who stayed patient with their organization rather than jumping ship at the first sign of adversity.
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