After quite a bit of a late-night NBA Draft adventure, the Boston Celtics have made another addition to what has shaped up to be an active offseason. After moving up 10 spots in the Draft as part of the three-team trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston and sent franchise stalwart Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Celtics traded down multiple times.
First, they swung a second deal with the Detroit Pistons, drafting the University of Houston’s Marcus Sasser and flipping him in exchange for the 31st pick and multiple future seconds. Then, on the clock with Pick 31, they traded down again, selecting FC Barcelona’s James Nnaji on behalf of the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for picks #34 and #39. Then, they traded #34 for Sacramento, selecting Xavier guard Colby Jones in exchange for pick #38 and a future second.
With the 38th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Celtics — by way of Memphis, by way of Detroit, by way of Sacramento — selected forward Jordan Walsh. Walsh, a freshman for Arkansas last season, averaged 7 points per game on 43% shooting from the field and 28% from three in his lone season with the Razorbacks. Walsh will compete with Sam Hauser for a place in Boston’s wing rotation.
Trading back down will mean that the Celtics still have yet to pick in the first round since Brad Stevens took the reins as President of Basketball Ops. Stevens traded out of the first round twice in his first two seasons with the team, moving first-rounders in the 2021 and 2022 NBA Drafts to acquire Al Horford and Derrick White, respectively. Stevens has drafted twice in the second round, picking French wing Juhann Begarin and Alabama guard JD Davison.
