The 2019-20 regular season is on hold until further notice and it won’t be back anytime soon according to top health experts. There is a high chance that even if the 2020-21 season eventually resumes this summer, there will be no more regular-season games played or a very limited sample depending on the timing of clearance leading into the postseason.
Based on those developments, let’s take stock of where the current Celtics draft stash stands and where the picks could end up if a few regular-season games end up being played this summer.
Grizzlies first-round pick (top-6 protected in 2020, unprotected in 2021)
Record: 32-33 (No. 17)
Analysis: This is the spot with probably the biggest range for the Celtics depending on if more games are played. The pick currently sits in a worst-case scenario for Boston since the Mavericks (No. 18) are seven games above the Grizzlies in the standings. The main variable that could come into play here for this spot (barring the resumption of a full regular season schedule) is the idea of a play-in tournament for the No. 8 seed for the Western Conference since there were still several teams within striking distance of the Grizzlies’ spot with just under 20 games to play. If Memphis fails to win that tournament, they will fall back into the lottery, although it would be expected that they would claim the No. 14 draft spot due to their high record. If the league goes with a few warmup regular seasons games before the postseason begins this summer (instead of a play-in tournament), the Grizzlies would still be locked into a playoff spot since they hold a 3.5 game lead at the moment. There’s an outside chance they could fall down to No. 15 or 16 if they fall below Brooklyn or Orlando in the standings (within two games of the Grizz).
If there is a play-in tournament, the other wildcard factor will come down to health. Not only would the Grizzlies get a full team back including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke (both sidelined recently) but the Blazers and Suns could get a big boost too with Jusuf Nurkic and Kelly Oubre Jr. returning, along with several potential Kings big men (Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley). All of this will create some interesting decisions for how the league formats things if and when play is cleared to resumed.
Celtics first round pick
Record: 43-21 (No. 26)
Analysis: Unlike the Grizzlies potential spot, there will be no play-in tournament possible for the Celtics as the current No. 3 seed in the East. A shortened slate of regular-season games could extend this range from anywhere to No. 21-28 overall but the strong odds remain in the mid-20s in the 25-27 range if there are only a few more games on the schedule.
Bucks first-round pick (top-7 protected)
Record: 53-12 (No. 30)
Analysis: This pick is nearly locked into No. 30 beyond an outside shot that the Lakers make things interesting (3 GB) in a push for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs if regular season games resumed. Otherwise, the Celtics will end up with the No. 30 overall pick via the Suns trade on draft night when they dealt away No. 24 (Suns took Ty Jerome) and Aron Baynes $5 million salary for a future Bucks first-rounder. Not exactly a fair deal (C’s would have been better off dumping Yabusele/other money in hindsight) but opening a path to landing Kemba Walker via a max salary slot was needed. No other player taken in the 24-32 range last season will be giving Danny Ainge any buyer’s remorse though as the C’s roster is already stock full of young guys. The guess here is this pick is used as a tool to trade up or dealt for a future selection to boost the team’s draft stash.
Nets second-round pick
Record: 30-34 (No. 46)
Analysis: The Celtics are currently projected to send their own second-round pick to the Hornets (top-53 protected) as part of the Kemba Walker sign-and-trade deal, leaving this Nets selection as the only second-round selection coming Boston’s way. This could eventually fall anywhere in the 45-47 range if games resume but falls in a range that would allow the Celtics to land a potential second-round gem (picks in the 40s are usually last in second round to hold any real value to teams in trades).
C’s current projected picks for 2020 Draft
Memphis: No. 17
Own pick: No. 26
MIL pick: No. 30
BKN pick: No. 46
Other NBA News and Notes
—Keep an eye on the timing of the NBA Draft this year as it expected that it will be postponed from June if the season does not resume by then. The usual pre-draft process would likely see some adjustment as teams do not have face-to-face interviews and normally workouts aren’t likely to take place for at least the next two months while the league is shut down. How the league handles this unique situation is secondary to the season itself but will create a tougher atmosphere for teams to try to evaluate prospects.
—Marcus Smart appeared on CNN on Friday after announcing his coronavirus diagnosis. "I found out yesterday evening sometime,” Smart told Chris Cuomo. “And for me, it was just like a surprise, you know, because like I said, I feel fine. I haven't had any symptoms. So for me, like when they told me I had it, I was just like, oh, wow. You know, and it definitely really makes you alert to what's going on. In the situation.
"I've actually been taking isolation -- the quarantine very, very seriously. I've been quarantined for a while now. Ever since we got back from our road trip and decided to get the team tested. I have been quarantined ever since. Doing everything I'm supposed to. Washing my hands. Germ-x. Everything."
Smart is one of 10 NBA players that have tested positive for the virus so far.
—Potential No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards declared for the 2020 NBA Draft on Friday after his freshman year at Georgia came to a premature close. The 6’5’’ guard has risen up the prospect ranks this season after averaging 19.1 ppg.
—The NBA sent a notice to teams per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that players made not be paid past April 1 due to a “Force Majeure” clause in their contract that allows the league to withhold payment in extreme circumstances. Payment will likely be dependent on the regular season play resuming.
—The Celtics will pay their part-time game night staff for the remainder of their regular-season schedule whether or not the games are played, according to a team source.
