Building blocks
Isaiah Thomas PG |
Avery Bradley SG |
Marcus Smart PG/SG |
Jaylen Brown SF
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Demetrius Jackson PG
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Guerschon Yabusele PF, Ben Bentil PF, Ante Zizic PF/C, and Abdel Nadar SG/SF
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Draft board
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The Celtics are coming off a great season where they exceeded expectations and looked primed to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. They have a ton of draft picks and I highly doubt they will all be used. The Celtics lack a star player that would take this team to the next level and I expect them to make a few deals come draft day. The have a solid roster led by Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart. Other key players include Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, and well just about the rest of the roster. They have a few needs that can be addressed in the draft and I imagine they'll use at least a few picks to do it.
(Updated 7/4/16) The Celtics had a solid draft in the sense that they added assets, but I was expecting them to pull off more trades. They were in pursuit of Jimmy Butler or Noel/Okafor, but nothing panned out. However, shipping the 31st and 35th to Memphis for a future first was a good trade. As far as their picks go, Brown is a great pickup who will fit nicely, Yabusele, Zizic, and Bentil all add to the PF depth and bring shooting/toughness. Demetrius Jackson could be the steal of the draft and Abdel Nadar is solid for the 58th pick. We'll see if they plan on keeping all of these rookies or if they will be part of future deals. Draft Grade: B-/C+ Team Needs
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Estimated Cap Space
$53,397,958.00 UFA Evan Turner PG RFA Tyler Zellar C and Jared Sullinger PF |