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The Boston Celtics didn't wait until the 2023 NBA Draft to make their big move, pulling off a shocking blockbuster trade for Kristaps Porzingis before the event got under way. In the process, the Celtics ended up moving up from the 35th overall selection to the 25th overall selection, while netting a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as well.
The Celtics ended up wheeling and dealing for much of the night, with general manager Brad Stevens pulling off a handful of trades down that resulted in Boston adding several future second-round picks. When all was said and done, the Celtics made just one pick on the night, selecting Jordan Walsh out of Arkansas with the 38th overall pick in the draft.
All in all, you can't get too upset with Boston's draft, as they managed to pick up quite a few future picks that could be used in trades in the future. However, they did make a big mistake along the way, and it just happens to be the first move they made on the night that ended up leading to all the trades down we saw throughout the draft.
Celtics big draft mistake: Trading the No. 25 pick
When you put emotions to the side, the Celtics did a great bit of business to land Porzingis and a pair of first-round picks for what essentially amounted to Marcus Smart, Danilo Gallinari, and the 35th overall pick in the draft. The first-rounder in the 2023 draft wasn't anything special, considering it was just the 25th overall pick, but there's still decent value that can be found at this spot.
After pulling off the Porzingis deal, the Celtics have a pair of fairly obvious needs on their roster that need to be addressed. They could use another two-way wing, a facilitating guard, and maybe even another option in the frontcourt, assuming they don't re-sign Grant Williams, which seems very likely at this point. And yet, Boston left the draft without addressing any of these issues.
Walsh isn't necessarily a bad pick for the C's, but he's not really going to be contributing for them anytime soon. Boston passed up on NBA ready talent that could have slotted into their rotation immediately had they been drafted. The most obvious spot where this happened was at the 25th overall pick, which Boston traded to the Detroit Pistons, who quickly turned around and drafted Marcus Sasser out of Houston.
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Sasser has holes in his game to say the least, but he's an NBA ready scorer who could have come off Boston's bench and immediately contribute. He's not exactly a pass-first guard, but considering all the question marks surrounding Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard, picking up Sasser would have been a nice insurance policy to have off the bench.
This wasn't the only time the Celtics ended up trading down from picks that could have been more beneficial for them than Walsh. Boston traded the 31st overall pick they got from the Pistons to the Charlotte Hornets for James Nnaji, who was expected to be a late first-round pick and could have been the final piece to the C's frontcourt. Nnaji is raw, but he has a lot of upside and is a similar player to Robert Williams III.
Then, the Celtics traded the 34th overall pick they got from the Hornets to the Sacramento Kings which ended up becoming Colby Jones. Jones was also expected to be a late first-round pick, but ended up slipping to the second round as well. Jones would have shored up Boston's backcourt even more so than Sasser maybe, but instead, the C's decided to keep accruing draft picks.
Even with the 35th overall pick the Celtics got rid of in the Porzingis deal, Boston watched Julian Phillips, another guy who would have been a shrewd target, get picked up by the Chicago Bulls, who ended up with this pick through a trade with the Wizards. It's tough to look at Phillips and not feel like he could have reached his high ceiling with the Celtics.
At the end of the day, complaining about late first-round and early second-round draft workings is a bit foolish, but it is a bit fair to feel confused by Boston's plan based on their draft workings. They had a shot to add a contributor to their rotation with the 25th overall pick, but ended up adding a guy in Walsh who is a bit more of a long-term project.
Walsh could still contribute to Boston this season, and chances are Stevens was adding these second-rounders as part of a plan to make a bigger move in the future. But until that move gets made (if it ever does) it's reasonable to wonder whether the Celtics made a mistake by trading the 25th overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
