Although the Boston Celtics are still in the playoffs with a Game 6 matchup against the New York Knicks on Friday, the club is seemingly gaining attention in the rumor mill. In the midst of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, it appears that Boston is doing its due diligence on incoming prospect Cooper Flagg.

Insider Kevin O'Connor claims that the Celtics used one of their 13 player interview opportunities on the former Duke Blue Devils forward. With Flagg expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Boston would likely have to make a huge trade with the Dallas Mavericks for the rights to draft the top prospect.

“I have multiple sources telling me the Celtics also interviewed Cooper Flagg,” O'Connor said. “Now, this does not mean they are going to trade up into the Top 10, but I do think it's interesting at least the way it works at the draft combine. Teams can interview up to 13 players, and they rank the players that they most want to interview.

“This would mean that they had Cooper Flagg, Trey Johnson, guys like that, that they ranked high to get the opportunity to interview them.”

O'Connor goes on to name some possible trade candidates on the Celtics' roster, as rumors are the club could make big changes with Tatum likely ruled out for the entirety of next season.

Related Boston Celtics NewsArticle continues below
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) hugs New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) after the Knicks defeat the Celtics in game six of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Knicks fans take to the streets with NSFW chants
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defend
Magic Johnson breaks down why the Knicks bested Celtics

“If Boston were to really retool this offseason, Al Horford is going to be a free agent, Kristaps Porzingis is old, Jrue Holiday is old, and Jaylen Brown's value might be as high as it’s ever been.”

Flagg, who is 18 years old, grew up in the Boston area and is a Celtics fan. He's claimed before that Tatum is his favorite player in the NBA. Additionally, the franchise is in a bit of a tough situation when it comes to the salary cap.

There is a possibility that the Celtics choose to rebuild around Tatum and Flagg in an attempt to clear up cap space. To get a deal done, the front office would likely have to trade star-caliber players to reach a deal with the Mavericks. However, Dallas may want to just keep the pick and select Flagg No. 1 for itself.