The Celtics were dealt a crushing loss to the Heat in Game 7 at home after coming back from down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In a season that felt like it was NBA Finals or bust, Boston will go back to the drawing board as it looks to maximize its championship window around the superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics have a few key decisions to make this offseason — most notably, handling Brown’s supermax contract extension and some free agency decisions around role players like Grant Williams. But before they get to that point, Boston does have one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft Picks 2023: Live grades, results and analysis for every 1st Round selection
Who did the Celtics pick on draft night? The Sporting News takes a look below.
Celtics draft picks 2023: When does Boston pick?
The Celtics entered the 2023 NBA Draft with just one draft pick:
- Round 1, No. 25
The Celtics originally had the No. 35 pick in Thursday’s draft but included it in the reported trade that will land them Kristaps Porzingis. In return, Boston received the No. 25 pick from Memphis.
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Celtics 2023 NBA Draft order
| Round | Pick | Selection |
| 1 | 25 | Marcus Sasser* |
| 2 | 38 | Jordan Walsh |
The Celtics were busy on draft night pulling off four seperate trades for a stockpile of future second round picks.
*The Celtics first traded Sasser to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for the No. 31 pick in the draft, along with two future second round picks.
Boston then flipped the No. 31 pick James Nnaji to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for picks No. 34 and 39, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
They then moved pick No. 34 to the Sacramento Kings for pick No. 38 and a future second round pick, before moving pick No. 39 to the Atlanta Hawks for a future second round pick.
So to break that down, Boston turned the No. 25 pick into pick No. 38, plus four future second round picks.
Celtics draft needs
- 3-and-D forward: Grant Williams has been a consistent role player for Boston over the past two seasons and is set to hit restricted free agency. Even with Porzingis on the team, losing Danilo Gallinari and Williams would leave a void to fill for shooting at the power forward position.
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- Experience: Boston’s championship window is wide open, so it should target more mature, NBA-ready prospects who can make an impact in their rotation right away. Picking early in the second round, there should be plenty of upperclassmen who fit that bill.
NBA Mock Draft 2023
In my most recent Mock Draft, I had the Celtics selecting Gonzaga junior forward Julian Strawther with the No. 35 pick. Strawther is a 6-7 sharpshooting wing who converted 40.8 percent of his 3s this past season. You might remember him for the deep game-winning 3-ball he hit to knock off UCLA in an instant classic in the Elite Eight.
Strawther would give Boston a floor-stretching wing who projects to be a versatile defender with quick feet and sharp instincts. It’s an added bonus that although he is an upperclassman, Strawther just turned 21 years old in April.
At 25, I had the Grizzlies selecting Brandin Podziemski out of Santa Clara.