Draft Day Thread

[bobheckler]

We don't have a first round pick, we have #45, but not only can that change with a phone call by Brad but who other teams draft will reflect on their roster next year and where they might be willing to move a player. Besides, it's the NBA Draft! We gotta at least pay a little attention to it, don't we?

The Draft begins at 8pm EDT today.


Bob


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[bobheckler]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/evan-fourniers-market-celtics-trade-exception-options-four-things-to-watch-for-during-bostons-draft-night.html



Evan Fournier’s market, Celtics trade exception options: Four things to watch for during Boston’s draft night

Updated 12:30 PM; Today 12:30 PM


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



NBA Draft night is here and the Celtics will have to wait a long time before making their first selection of the night with the No. 45 overall pick. The team already traded away their first-round selection last month as part of the deal that brought Al Horford and Moses Brown to Boston in exchange for Kemba Walker. Even though the Celtics do not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2009, it could be a very eventful night for the team on a variety of fronts. Let’s break down what to watch for and what could impact Brad Stevens’ plans from a league-wide perspective.


1. How many rookies are the Celtics willing to bring in next season?

Boston only has one draft pick but there are three open slots on the roster, along with a pair of openings on two-way contracts with Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall both set to hit free agency. The No. 45 overall pick will be a candidate for one of those slots, but there is the possibility of last year’s second round pick Yam Madar also earning his way onto the team as well. Given the lack of spending power Boston has in free agency and the desire for improvements for a subpar bench last season, trading back into the draft or moving up is a possibility according to director of player personnel Austin Ainge.

“We still evaluate everybody,” Ainge said of the draft class. “We still have to be ready for trades on the clock. We’ll be evaluating these guys for their entire careers, so we still spend a lot of time on the first round picks.”

Brad Stevens has always been a fan of trustworthy veterans during his coaching career in Boston so it’s likely that will be a priority for the team this offseason. However, with a large tax bill looming in the future, finding good fits in the second round could be crucial to the team’s depth and cost control for the payroll, particularly if Stevens isn’t sold on some of the team’s current young talent at the end of the bench.


2. Will Evan Fournier’s free agency market shift after trade night deals?

We already saw one team emerge as a potential suitor earlier this week when the New Orleans Pelicans cleared out over $25 million in potential cap room this summer by trading away Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to the Memphis Grizzlies. That could be a tactic numerous other teams try to achieve on draft night as they open up bigger spending opportunities for themselves in free agency. The Celtics will be rooting hard against more teams finding those types of deals that open up cap room since they are an over-the-cap team themselves and have no realistic shot at having cap room next month. The fewer teams that can make a high bid for Fournier once free agency begins, the higher the chance the Celtics will be able to re-sign him or at least fetch a return for him in a potential sign-and-trade. At the moment, the Knicks, Pelicans, Mavericks and Heat are teams in win-now mode that loom as threats. That list could expand tonight if a couple more deals are struck.


3. Will the Celtics try to clear up some of their roster logjam for draft capital?  

Boston enters draft night with 11 guaranteed contracts on their roster plus two more unguaranteed deals in Moses Brown and Jabari Parker. There is a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt at the moment with Robert Williams, Al Horford, Tristan Thompson and Moses Brown all candidates for center minutes. The Celtics could elect to enter next season with all of those guys under contract to provide strong depth and protection against injury but moving a pricy veteran (Thompson) could be an option on draft night. A lot of contenders may want to make an upgrade but don’t have the spending power in free agency to do so. Boston isn’t going to get much value for Thompson or another young player in their bench unit but trading them on draft night is an easy way to open up more roster spots with free agency just days away.


4. Will Boston use any of their trade exceptions?

The Celtics still have four trade exceptions at their disposal, however, a pair of useful ones expire in the coming days. Boston just has two more days to use a $4.7 million trade exception that was created by dealing away Enes Kanter at last season’s draft. They also have a bigger $11 million trade exception that will expire on August 16th. It’s highly unlikely either of these exceptions would be used to land a free agent in a sign-and-trade due to Boston’s payroll and the hard cap limitations. Due to that, the amount of wheeling and dealing around the league on draft night makes Thursday one of the last chances for Brad Stevens to get some use out of these open salary slots. Danny Ainge did not leave a lot of payroll flexibility for this group entering this season but not using either of these exceptions would be a lost opportunity for the front office. Look for Boston to try to work their way into a trade tonight if they can gain an asset out of any deal involving these exceptions.


Bob


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[RosalieTCeltics]

Can the trade exceptions be combined to make one? I think I know the answer to this but I was just wondering.

These next few weeks are going to be interesting. Aren't there players that the Celtics have to sign by a certain date or lose? I know some are free agents. Semi? Waters? Tacko ? Edwards has at least one year left am I right there?

[bobheckler]

Can the trade exceptions be combined to make one?  I think I know the answer to this but I was just wondering.

These next few weeks are going to be interesting.  Aren't there players that the Celtics have to sign by a certain date or lose?  I know some are free agents.  Semi? Waters? Tacko ?  Edwards has at least one year left am I right there?  

Rosalie,

No, TPEs cannot be combined.

There is talk of Waters looking to get his break elsewhere.  If so I wish him well.  He showed a few sparks, but not enough to really pull me in.

There's a box of Krispy Kremes out there somewhere that is on the block to be traded for Carsen Edwards.  Brad needs to accept that's all he's gonna get.

I don't know when Tacko needs to be signed by.  He is a Restricted Free Agent.  I don't see anybody crazy out-bidding Brad for him.  He's still raw, albeit much better than he was 2 years ago.


Bob


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[RosalieTCeltics]

There were supposedly some GM's out there saying that Waters was a backup point guard already. Good luck to any team that gets him. My biggest problem with him was that he looked for his shot alot more than getting his teammates involved in the plays. He is a good passer when he stays within the game.

The thing about Edwards is that I have read and even heard on Celtics channels that Brad likes him, his size???? Is he on the summer league team? If so, watch him put on a show and draw accolades. Then the real games start and he disappears. The sad thing is, he is a good shooter and can heat it up, but only every 15 games

[bobheckler]

https://sports.yahoo.com/2021-nba-mock-draft-roundup-170138670.html



2021 NBA Mock Draft roundup: Final predictions for Celtics' pick


Nick Goss
Thu, July 29, 2021, 10:01 AM·1 min read



For the first time since 2009, the Boston Celtics do not have a first-round pick in the NBA Draft.

The Celtics dealt their 2021 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Kemba Walker trade earlier this month. It was a necessary move to get rid of Walker's contract and gain more roster/financial flexibility moving forward.

The lack of a first-round selection doesn't mean the Celtics won't acquire a quality player from this draft, though. The 2021 draft class is a deep one, and there will be NBA-caliber players selected throughout the second round, where Boston will pick at No. 45 overall.

One position the Celtics would be wise to target in Round 2 is point guard. They are a bit thin at point guard following the Walker trade, with Marcus Smart and 2020 first-round pick Payton Pritchard atop the depth chart at that position.

Who might the Celtics pursue in the second round Thursday night? Here's a roundup of expert predictions for the Celtics' pick from recent 2021 NBA mock drafts.

Kevin O'Connor, The Ringer: David Johnson, G, Louisville

Jonathan Givony, ESPN: Austin Reaves, PG/SG, Oklahoma

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic: Jason Preston, G, Ohio

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated: Austin Reaves, PG/SG, Oklahoma

Cody Taylor, Rookie Wire (USA TODAY): Kessler Edwards, SF/PF, Pepperdine

Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: Daishen Nix, PG, USA

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, PF, Villanova

NBADraft.net: Isaiah Livers, SF/PF, Michigan

Tankathon: Herbert Jones, SF, Alabama


Bob


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[RosalieTCeltics]

trade it

[gyso]

Draft and stash.

[prakash]

Westbrook to Lakers! Rubio to Cavs! So the floor generals are on the move. Well, at least one floor general. And one pit bull.

[cowens/oldschool]

Perk giving big props to Jalen Green, sayings he’s a future all star and a combo of Jaylen Brown and Tracy McGrady.

[prakash]

Acquisition of Rubio by the Cavs is a very curious trade. They already have Sexton and Garland.

[RosalieTCeltics]

Funny, i was just watching Rubio in the Olympics.  The game must have been a replay, since they were talking about Rubio being in Minnesota this year. That is a good move for the Lakers, boy they land on their feet all the time, don’t they?

[RosalieTCeltics]

Mason Plumlee traded to Charlotte, so the rumors that they were going to make a play for Theis does not make sense now.

[Ktron]

GD Lakers. Grrrrr

[Ktron]

With Westbrook gone, I see Beal not far behind. Maybe even this upcoming season

[cowens/oldschool]

GD Lakers. Grrrrr

Players control the league

[Ktron]

GD Lakers. Grrrrr

Players control the league

And its way out of hand.

[dboss]

Looks like an impressive collection of young talent.

[gyso]

2021 NBA Draft: Celtics select Juhann Begarin with No. 45 pick

https://sports.yahoo.com/2021-nba-draft-celtics-select-034511536.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

With the 45th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics have selected Juhann Begarin.

Begarin is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of France with a 7-foot wingspan. In 39 games with Paris in LNB Pro B, the 18-year-old averaged 11.7 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor.

Begarin likely is a draft stash for the Celtics, who did not have a first-round pick on Thursday night.

My comments: click on the link for video and other things that didn't come over in the copy-paste.

[gyso]

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juhann_Begarin



I hope this works:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&ei=UTF-8&p=Juhann+Begarin#id=&vid=&action=close

[prakash]

Did we just draft a better Kedrick Brown? I am stoked!!

[cowens/oldschool]

Thanks gyso, can’t believe these highlights, the talent you can find even in later rounds, it’s only highlights, but for a 45th pick he sure looks way more dynamic and quicker and better than Semi or GWill. We do draft good wings. I wish I could do that.

[jrleftfoot]

The kid is 18. The next Lebron James probably wasn't avaiable at # 45

[dboss]

He is an 18 year old draft and stash.

In other news, the price of pork bellies continues to decline as more people look to trim down.

[NYCelt]

It’s what you do with #45 when you have too much youth already.

With better talent still on the board you take a long shot already OK with playing overseas.

Good chance you never have to worry about choosing a Celtic number.

Andrei Fetisov v2

#whowasthatguy #whateverhappenedto

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