The Boston Celtics reportedly have their sights set on a certain lottery-projected prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Celtics are said to covet Illinois star Kasparas Jakucionis. According to Celtics reporter Steve Bulpett, Boston is working the phone lines to find a trade that would get them a better chance of landing Jakucionis. With the Celtics holding the 28th pick in Wednesday’s draft, the Lithuanian point guard will likely be picked well outside Boston’s current draft range.
Per the report, several teams are looking to trade back, giving the Celtics several potential trade partners to work with. The question becomes what Boston would be willing to include on top of the 28th pick in order to move up.
Jakucionis is seen as a potential lottery pick who probably won’t fall any further than 20. His tantalizing combination of size and skill once had him mocked as a potential top-six pick. At 19 years old, Kasparas averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists across 33 games in his lone season at Illinois.
The Celtics have been wheeling and dealing over the past few days, sending out both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the span of 24 hours. The team has even fielded calls about 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
With the Celtics cutting costs to minimize their luxury tax bill, the team’s interest in a young, cost-controlled prospect like Jakucionis is no surprise.