With the No. 50 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks have elected to trade back one spot and select Mohamed Diawara. It's the result of a complex series of moves that began when the Boston Celtics acquired the pick at the 2020 NBA Draft—only for it to be included in a series of increasingly more complicated deals in later years.
Unfortunately, the selection of Diawara comes with a painful reminder of how Boston acquired the pick: By trading Desmond Bane for just two second-round selections.
Bane has become one of the hottest names in the NBA after the Orlando Magic sent four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies to acquire him. That alone rubs salt in the wound for a Celtics team that would've undoubtedly loved to have received four first-rounders as they begin their retooling.
Unfortunately, Boston was as unaware of the type of player that Bane would become as everyone else in the NBA—and can now only wonder what could've been.
After five seasons, Bane has emerged as one of the best and most well-rounded shooting guards in the NBA. He's solidified that status over the past three years, amassing averages of 21.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.8 three-point field goals made on .477/.394/.883 shooting.
The only silver lining for the Celtics is that the regrettable decision to trade Bane has finally reached the proverbial finish line in terms of assets returned.
Celtics' 2020 Desmond Bane trade finalized with 2025 second-round pick
Boston utilized the first second-round draft pick Memphis sent its way, a 2023 selection, to trade for Mike Muscala. Muscala played 20 games for the Celtics before he was packaged in the deal that saw Boston acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
The optimistic take would be that Muscala helped Boston land a key piece of their championship puzzle, but it's admittedly difficult to spin that story considering it was a three-team deal with bigger pieces.
Fast forward two years and the second pick has been utilized. Boston parted with the last of the two second-round selections that Memphis sent its way to acquire Al Horford in an invaluable 2021 deal, but one still can't help but wonder if there could've been another path to reacquiring their interior anchor.
It simply can't be said enough that Bane has become one of the best shooting guards in the NBA—playing at a level the Celtics would've undoubtedly benefited from featuring.
In another world, Boston would be preparing for Jayson Tatum's injury absence with optimism still on its side. They could've built their 2025-26 roster around a perimeter trio of Derrick White, Bane, and Jaylen Brown, thus operating with confidence in their ability to contend.
Instead, the Celtics are hoping that the returns from the Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis trades will be sufficient.
That's certainly a plausible outcome, as Anfernee Simons is a dynamic scoring guard who could reach another level in Boston. Trading Bane for what has amounted to Muscala and a 2025 second-round pick simply isn't the outcome many were hoping for.
Sellers' remorse comes with no further reminders, however, as the Celtics can finally begin to move on from the Bane trade that haunts them.