How close were the Celtics to trading draft? Brad Stevens explains originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Few expected fireworks from the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Draft, but Brad Stevens and Co. didn’t even light a spark on Thursday night.
Despite rumors they might advance to the first round, the Celtics held out and used their lone roster (#53 overall) on Alabama security guard JD Davison† In a post-draft press conference, Stevens admitted that the Cs had at least talked about swinging a draft night trade before sitting down.
“We talked about moving up the ranks, but saying goodbye to key players on our team, or using our TPEs (traded player exceptions) and other assets, wasn’t something we wanted to do right now,” the statement said. Celtics president of basketball activities. told reporters†
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A report suggested Boston – that its 2022 first-rounder is at the… San Antonio Spurs as part of the Derrick White trade — was interested in the Golden State Warriors‘No. 28 selection. Another report mentioned Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard as rotation players the Celtics may consider parting ways with to acquire a first-rounder.
However, as the design evolved, Stevens and his staff couldn’t find a return package to justify giving up their core assets.
“The cost of going up was just too much for where we are (at number 53), whether that was the 20s or even the 30s or the low 40s,” Stevens said. “We were given a list of guys we were comfortable with and as the day went on we had a few guys still on our board to choose from.”
The Celtics’ inactivity is not surprising. While Boston needs to improve its bench, this core group came just within two wins of an NBA championship and should remain largely intact for next season† So unless there was a prospect in the first round that the Celtics really liked that could make an immediate impact in 2022-23, it makes sense to stick with players who have been here before rather than a rookie in the throw mix.
That’s not to say, however, that Boston will be quiet all through the off-season. the Celtics have multiple TPEs (including one worth $17.1 million) with which they can acquire talent through trade and strengthen their selection.
“We know who fits into that TPE and who might be available. Now it’s about cost,” Stevens said. “We decided tonight that we haven’t found anything we could use the TPE on. But things are just getting started.”