Celtics Offseason

Report: C's stockpiling draft picks for ‘seismic' trade

Is Boston preparing for a major move?

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During what's been a busy offseason, Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics have made a concerted effort to stock up on draft picks.

They acquired a 2024 first-round pick (from Memphis via Golden State) in the Marcus Smart deal, four second-round picks during the 2023 NBA Draft, and two more second-rounders in Wednesday's Grant Williams trade. But if Stevens has it his way, the Celtics won't be using those picks to add more young talent to their pipeline.

The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach wrote on Thursday that Boston's wealth of draft picks will eventually be used to make a "seismic" trade, though that move is unlikely to be made this summer:

"No, the Celtics do not have a plan to start a youth movement centered on draft picks. This capital will eventually serve as currency in a larger deal, with the Celtics well-positioned for a seismic strike, league sources said. The spree of recent activity has bred speculation that they could be staking out their big move right now, but a league source said that appears unlikely."

It's worth noting Himmelsbach's report is unrelated to the Damian Lillard trade rumors that have dominated the offseason. In fact, Himmelsbach poured cold water on the Lillard-to-Boston talk by stating the C's are "not pursuing" a trade for the Portland Trail Blazers superstar.

Lillard is the only player currently on the trade market that would constitute a "seismic" deal, so Boston will likely sit on its collection of picks for the foreseeable future. For now, they are positioned to make another run at a title led by the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and newcomer Kristaps Porzingis.

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