3 former lottery picks the Boston Celtics could sign this summer

Boston Celtics target No. 3) Jalen Smith

Dating back to the months leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft, we at the Houdini were absolutely enamored with the Maryland product, Jalen Smith, and even deemed the concept of drafting him with their lone lottery pick as being part of what could make for a perfect offseason.

Unfortunately, before they were up on the board at 14th overall, the big man was snatched up at 10 by Phoenix and, simulteneously, our (my) hopes of a perfect summer were dashed.

However, fastforward two years later and we find that the Suns had genuinely both failed and, frankly, given up on the talent, sending him to the Indiana Pacers in a midseason deal along with a future second-round pick for Torrey Craig.

Now, after just 22 games played in Indianapolis, Smith finds himself gearing up for unrestricted free agency (a result of the Suns giving up on the youngster by declining his third-year option prior to trading him) where he’ll likely only be receiving offers in the realm of MLE’s and, should this happen, perhaps he could opt to take such a deal with Boston to have the opportunity to serve as a valuable backup big man and potential long-term replacement for Al Horford at the four moving forward.

While his limited run in Phoenix only saw him posting 4.1 points and 3.1 boards per game and a few assignments to the team’s G League affiliates, during his short stint with the Pacers Smith managed to showcase some of the potential that we at the site believed he had upon coming into the NBA.

Seeing 24.7 minutes a night in Indiana, the power forward saw himself sporting 13.4 points, 7.6 boards, and a block per game on 53 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from deep on three attempts per contest.

Still only 22-years-old, Jalen Smith has plenty of time to turn his fortunes around and, considering the potential he came into the league with as being a floor-spacing, tweener big just two years back, coupled with the glimpses of hope that he displayed with the Pacers, it would be an unbelievably wise thing for Boston to make a pursuit for the former lottery talent.