Which recent Boston Celtics first-round pick has the highest trade value?

As great of a job as former Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge did overall for the franchise during his 18 years in charge of the front office, it’s clear that his final few NBA Drafts lacked the Midas touch that the mid-2010s had.

We’ve often been critical of Ainge’s 2019 draft performance where the former Celtics backcourt great brought in four draft picks, with two (Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters) gone after two seasons. Romeo Langford, the #14 pick that year, has been absent from the lineup with injuries far too frequently to contribute in a meaningful way. Not once since Grant Williams has been around have Cs fans not had the thought that the big man rotation needed another impact player.

Let’s talk about the Class of 2020, though. Granted, these guys did come into the league during a period of discovery for the association in how to navigate a full season of travel during a global pandemic.

But first-rounders Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard were supposed to leave that class in the dust. Instead, they are now at the end of the bench just like Edwards and Waters were. But the team isn’t winning like Boston was during that pair’s rookie season, making it far less likely that the 2020 pair sticks around as the losing continues in 2021-22.

Recent comments made by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer had the Houdini thinking about the value of all of these guys on the trade market. Fischer believes it is Nesmith who could return the most in a hypothetical deal (transcript via Fadeaway World):

"There is not much interest in the former first-round picks that Boston has. From Payton Pritchard to Romeo Langford to Grant Williams. I think Aaron Nesmith has the highest value of that group. It’s difficult."

Clearly, he doesn’t believe that the Cs would even get much in return for the 2020 #14 pick. Nesmith has shown the ability to go off for 15+ four different times in his career, but he’s had just two double-digit outings in 2021-22 with none reaching the 15-point benchmark.

Who is the most valuable recent Boston Celtics first-round pick?

The answer to this question seems fairly obvious. Grant Williams is the only player who has topped 20 minutes per game. The former Tennessee Volunteer is a legitimate NBA rotation player that has started nine games this season.

Boston’s record is 4-5 in those games, but 4-1 in their last five such contests. While some view Nesmith’s shooting and Langford’s athleticism as their meal tickets to owning a higher ceiling than Williams, those things need to be put into practice with consistency. The NBA has a low threshold for non-producing youth with guys like Jarrett Culver and Kevin Knox already having lost value on the trade market.

Williams likely doesn’t even have enough value to return anything significant in a swap, but he easily has the most value of any recent Boston Celtics first-rounder since 2019.