While the 2025 NBA Finals just ended with the Thunder beating the Pacers, it’s already time to move onto the offseason. Life moves fast in the league as the 2025 NBA Draft is this week starting Wednesday with top prospects learning their pro destinations.
Expect teams to start ramping up trade discussions this week due to the draft. The league has already seen some big deals in the Desmond Bane and Kevin Durant trades, but there could be more on the horizon. While the NBA Finals were on, teams were busy setting up their offseason as free agency negotiations also open next week.
The Celtics have two picks in the draft at No. 28 and No. 32 overall. Now, the C’s are expected to be active in trade talks, so there’s a chance those picks could be involved in any type of deal. But, for now, they’re working with those picks in the 2025 draft. The Celtics made their first big trade of the offseason when they dealt Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two future second-round picks.
MassLive looked at four guards, four wings and four big men who could be available for the Celtics around that point in the draft. Here’s also a mock draft that looks at the entire first round, along with a mock draft that projects every lottery pick, along with the Celtics’ two selections.
Here’s everything else you need to know heading into the 2025 NBA Draft, plus picking the Celtics’ two draft selections one last time:
The details
The 2025 NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The first round will take place Wednesday and be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The second round is set for 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN. Splitting up the rounds to its own separate day is a relatively new development for the league, which used to power through all on one night.
What should you look for at the top of the draft?
Not too much when it comes to the top-2 picks and any uncertainty there. Maine native Cooper Flagg is still projected to go first overall to the Mavericks while Dylan Harper is considered to go second to the Spurs. As of now, it appears the Mavs and Spurs are content selecting their respective talented prospect to open the draft.
Afterwards, it gets interesting. Ace Bailey was presumed to be a potential pick at No. 3 to the 76ers, but the Rutgers product hasn’t taken any workouts to any teams. He was set for a predraft visit to Philadelphia last week, but his representation abruptly canceled. Bailey has been the wild card at the top of the draft as it’s unclear where the talented forward will end up come draft night. Bailey appears to be the first big domino as teams could also trade up for him if he starts falling in the draft.
How does this draft pool compare to the 2024 NBA Draft?
There was relatively little buzz going into the 2024 draft, and the No. 1 pick in Zaccharie Risacher to the Hawks was relatively unknown. That’s not the case this year. Flagg has been hyped up as the next big thing and could be a superstar in the league. His lone season at Duke, leading them to the Final Four while being named National Player of the Year, backed up the hype.
Later in the draft, the perception is there are plenty of potential stars. There are also a lot of one-and-dones at the top of the draft, showcasing some of the youth. While college basketball is getting older in general, these prospects still showed out with some of them still teenagers in the college ranks. Now, they’re pushing to get to the best basketball league in the world.
Looking at the draft from a Celtics fan perspective
The Celtics have a pair of later picks, for now, though there have been some reports about them trading up in the draft. Regardless, teams will likely up their activity since draft picks are often included in any trade package. That includes the C’s as the front office could look to either deal or get picks in return, though that depends on what kind of trade package is on the table. The Holiday deal was just the first trade of the summer for the Celtics.
Notably, the draft is a path for the Celtics to get cheap, available talent. The C’s have had recent success developing guys (Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser), so they can lean on that part of their structure. Potential rotation players who will be on a rookie-scale contract could provide relief when it comes to being competitive this season and beyond. So there’s a lot riding on the draft, whether it’s about the actual player or any potential trades that could be in the works.
Picking the Celtics’ selections
No. 28: Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
The Celtics could use a backup big man considering they have two key reserves entering free agency in Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Raynaud is one of a few bigs who could be available for the Celtics at this spot. Notably, he has perhaps the most polished offensive game of the bigs in this range as he averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in his final year at Stanford. He also has the best outside shot after knocking down 34.7% of his 3-pointers on 5.5 attempts per game. The defense needs to be developed, but he’s a legit 7-footer with a capable offensive game.
No. 32: Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Saraf is young as he turned 19 earlier this year, so he’s still a bundle of talent at this point. Saraf recently had one of his best games for Ulm in the Basketball Bundesliga finals, putting up 20 points in the Game 3 win over Bayern Munich. They currently have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Saraf brings solid size at 6-foot-6 and his playmaking stands out on the tape. It doesn’t hurt that he’s playing against grown men in Germany’s top league despite still being a teenager.