When news of the trade first broke, all of the focus was on the one-for-one player swap of Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic. Shams Charania reported in the moment that each team was sending a 2nd-round pick to the other, but there were no further details.
Everyone went on to break down the players, their roles, and their fits with their new teams, the finances involved, and everything else this means for the Celtics. But quietly, Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that the pick Boston is receiving is Denver’s 2027 2nd-round pick, while the one they’re sending out will be the most favorable 2nd-rounder among the Wolves, Pelicans, Blazers, and Knicks in 2026.
The Nuggets are currently having a season from hell injury-wise, and yet they still have the fourth-best record in the NBA. Nikola Jokic isn’t going anywhere either, so that pick next year is probably going to fall in the bottom 5 or so of the draft, roughly the 55th overall pick next year.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, currently have the second-worst record in the league, and they’re just a half-game ahead of the Kings. If the season ended today, the Celtics would be sending the Bulls the 32nd overall pick in the draft this summer.
Early 2nd-round picks are a prime asset
All 2nd-round picks are not created equal, and in this swap, there’s actually a pretty wide gap between the two, possibly a difference of 25 picks or more. In a 60-player draft, that’s massive. Furthermore, early 2nd-round picks have become a prime asset.
There has been great talent available in recent years, with these kinds of picks showing little difference in value from a late 1st rounder. In fact, one could arguably argue that it’s even more beneficial thanks to the recent addition of the Second Round Pick Exception, which allows teams to sign these draftees to three or four-year contracts with team options that don’t count against the salary cap.
And on top of that, the Celtics have crushed this range of the draft in recent years. They found a gem in the 2nd round in 2023, nabbing Jordan Walsh with the 38th pick. They hit on Baylor Scheierman at the tail end of the 1st with the 30th overall pick, and just last year, they struck gold with Hugo Gonzalez at 28th overall and have already seen some promise from the 46th overall pick, Amari Williams.
By the end of the 2nd round, there aren’t as many hits, and at that point, many agents of players are telling teams not to draft their clients and that they would rather become undrafted free agents at that point.
So, while it wasn’t necessarily presented this way, it was a fairly steep price paid by the Celtics in draft capital. Michael Scotto reported earlier this week that earlier in the season, Chicago tried to get Boston to give them Simons and a 1st for Vooch, but Boston wasn’t interested. They may have ultimately held firm on that, but at the end of the day, it’s really no different.