Five things to watch for during the Celtics' draft night

Five thoughts on the Celtics heading into the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday night (8 p.m., ESPN)

1. How many rookies are the Celtics willing to bring in? We’ve gone over the specifics plenty here at BSJ over the past few months. The Celtics have potentially up to 12 roster spots filled with guaranteed contracts if Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter opt-in. Adding four more rookies (No. 14, 26, 30, 47) to that younger mix on the roster is far from ideal. Danny Ainge has made it clear he does not want to bring in much more youth to this group so the question is how many picks will be made? If the over/under is 2.5, I’m going under, although Hayward’s situation presents a bit of a wildcard if the team knows he’s headed out the door no matter what. A pivot to building younger around Jayson Tatum makes some sense but also will slow the team’s progression towards contending, wasting valuable years in the process. Whatever rookies the Celtics will take, they will be aiming for guys that can help now with perhaps one pick saved for a draft-and-stash or G-League project.

2. Will more Gordon Hayward suitors emerge via other draft moves? The Celtics can’t officially do anything with Hayward on the trade front until he opts in or out (sign-and-trade would still be a possibility then. Still, we will probably get a better idea of what potential suitors are legitimate for him (if any) based on the actions of the Celtics and other teams tonight. Will a team try to dump a bigger contract to create cap room? Will the Celtics use their first-round picks combined with Hayward to bring back a meaningful return from a destination Hayward approves of? All of these options are on the table now but how the draft plays out will tell the story of whether they actually come together with so many moving parts. Either way, Hayward’s leverage could fluctuate in a big way by the end of the night when it comes to pushing for a deal.

3. Will the Celtics use draft picks to clear out some roster space and salary? This is an easy potential option for one of Boston’s lower picks amid what could be a luxury tax crunch. Enes Kanter ($5 million) hasn’t opted in yet but the C’s could seek out a home that he approves and move him with a draft pick on Thursday to clear his money and roster spot. The same goes for French center Vincent Poirier ($2.6 million) who is on an expiring deal. A move like this wouldn’t be particularly exciting but would allow more flexibility for Boston to bring in additional veterans on the free-agent market with hurting the team’s payroll.

4. What path will the Celtics take to consolidate picks? There are two main options here for the C’s. Trading a late first-round pick for a veteran (and matching salary) should being in play as George Hill (just traded to the Pelicans) is one name league sources have confirmed to BSJ that the Celtics have checked on. This may require some facilitation from Kanter to opt into his player option (for matching salary) but draft night will be the best time for the C’s to add a veteran to the roster with a pick without taking away a young player the team likes that’s already on the roster.

The other routes for pick consolidation will be trading up into the lottery, something that hasn’t happened for Boston since the 2013 NBA Draft, when they moved from No. 16 to No. 13 in order to land Kelly Olynyk. The sense of urgency will be greater this time around for Boston but whether there are any takers in the mid-lottery remains to be seen. The other option for Boston will simply be trading out for future first-round picks in certain slots or a draft-and-stash if there ends up being no good offers at No. 26 and No. 30 for Boston’s selections.

5. What needs will the Celtics address within the roster? The Celtics need bench help, particularly from an offensive standpoint but that could be an issue better addressed through free agency than the draft. We looked at a number of appealing options in Boston’s draft range earlier this month, but guys that don’t need much development appears to be a priority for the franchise.

“One of the challenges is that this is not a great draft, but it’s a fairly deep draft,” Ainge said last week. ‘When we’re looking to trade players, not every rookie’s the same. Not every rookie is a 19-year-old who needs his hand held and needs a year in the G-League. Some rookies are much more mature, ready to step in and play right away at least in a certain role. When you draft a player like Semi Ojeleye or Grant Williams, they’re grown adults. Then there’s other kinds of rookies as we all know, so that matters too. Not all rookies, not all draft picks have to be kids that you have to hold their hands. There are many rookies that come in and are the hardest working, the most diligent. Those will be factors too if we end up using picks.”