Boston Celtics: 3 potential outcomes for Cs come draft night

Outcome No. 2) The Boston Celtics trade up in the second round

I know, I know, the Boston Celtics’ history in the second round is not a pretty one.

They have had little success finding talent later in the draft and have been even worse developing. However, this year’s second-round is different than other years. Most of the players projected in the second round would be first-round picks in any other draft.

So please think of this year’s second-round as a budget first round because that is what it is.

Players drafted in the second are signed to partially or non-guaranteed contracts, which is a big plus for the Boston Celtics looking to create as much cap space next summer as financially possible.

They can take one or two second-round prospects, throw them into the fire this season and see if they can make something happen.

If they show signs of potential, Boston can guarantee their minimum contract and keep them on the roster to support their new Big-3 next summer or they can trade them when their value is highest and net some veterans in return to round out the 2022-23 rotation.

Second-round picks are a very tradable, very cap-friendly, and very low-risk, high-reward asset. If Stevens wants to draft a contributor, he’ll likely take a third or fourth-year college pro, but if he wants to gamble and recruit a prospect with a low floor but a high ceiling, he can find a 19-year-old in the second round that matches that description.

Trading up in the second round is the most favorable outcome for the Cs, and there is not a team in the second round that is overly protective of their pick.