The Celtics may not be sitting still at No. 27.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Boston is looking to trade up in the first round of next Tuesday’s NBA Draft. The Celtics currently hold the No. 27 pick and the No. 40 pick, but Fischer reported that they have been exploring a move higher on the board.
There are two obvious ways to read that.
The first is pretty straightforward: Brad Stevens and the Celtics may have found a player they like and do not believe he’ll be there at 27. That is the normal draft-week explanation.
The louder version is the one you’re probably already sick of hearing about. We’ll get to…him…later.
Maybe the Celtics are trying to jump a few spots for a frontcourt prospect they think fits the next version of the roster. Or perhaps they’re trying to improve their draft capital before the rest of the offseason starts moving. Maybe they are doing both, because Brad Stevens has never seemed like someone who enjoys having only one door available to him.
Either way, Boston exploring a move up feels like the first move in what figures to be a busy offseason.
Who could Boston be targeting?
Henri Veesaar feels like the cleanest name to watch.
ESPN’s latest mock draft has the North Carolina big going No. 24 to the Knicks, which puts him close enough to Boston’s range for a trade-up conversation to make some sense. At 7 feet, with shooting touch and pick-and-pop potential, Veesaar checks a lot of the obvious boxes for a Celtics team still trying to solve its frontcourt issues.
A big who can keep the floor spaced, rebound enough and do more than simply occupy space would give Boston a better answer than hoping the current rotation solves itself.
Jayden Quaintance is another interesting name if the Celtics are comfortable with the medical risk tied to his knee. If Boston wants to jump higher, names like Chris Cenac Jr., Hannes Steinbach and Morez Johnson Jr. could come into play, but that would require a more aggressive move. Aday Mara is probably the dream version of the idea, though ESPN has him at No. 11, which feels like a different conversation entirely unless something much larger is about to happen.
If the Celtics stay put, Tarris Reed Jr. could still make sense as a more physical, ready-now big. But if Fischer’s report is tied to a specific frontcourt target, Veesaar is the easiest name to connect.
My big fat Greek trade rumors
You didn’t think we were getting through a Celtics offseason report without Giannis Antetokounmpo showing up, did you?
Fischer’s note also mentioned Boston as a team very much still looming in the Giannis conversation, which gives the trade-up report a second layer to consider. Moving up could be about drafting a player. It could also be about improving the quality of an asset before a larger deal takes place.
A better first-round pick is more attractive than No. 27 in almost any trade conversation with the Bucks. That does not magically make a Giannis deal realistic, simple or even likely. Nothing about acquiring a player of that caliber is ever straightforward. But if Boston is trying to keep every door open, turning No. 27 into something slightly more appealing would at least fit the larger logic of the offseason.
That is probably the cleanest way to look at this for now. The Celtics are trying to give themselves more options.
Maybe they want to move up for a big who can help answer the frontcourt question. Maybe they want a better asset before taking a bigger swing. Maybe nothing happens, because draft-week rumors have a long history of being just that: rumors.
Still, for a team with limited easy ways to improve, exploring a move up makes sense.
The Celtics can stay at No. 27 and hope the board cooperates. Or they can try to make sure it does.
