The unprecedented punishment handed down to the Los Angeles Clippers this week included the forfeiture of five first-round draft picks.
Because the NBA ruled that the team [circumvented the salary cap](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/09/02/nba-penalizes-clippers-5-1st-round-picks-30-million-in-kawhi-leonard-probe/) in its dealings with superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers lost their first-round selection in the 2029, ’30, ’31, ’32 and ’33 drafts (along with a host of other sanctions, including a yearlong suspension and $30 million fine for team owner Steve Ballmer).
One potential winner from Leonard saga’s long-awaited resolution: the Celtics, who recently acquired the Clippers’ 2028 first-rounder from Philadelphia in the Jaylen Brown trade.
Boston doesn’t own that pick outright; it’s subject to a complicated set of protections involving the Clippers and 76ers (and, indirectly, the Spurs, since San Antonio owns swap rights to the Celtics’ pick that year from the Derrick White trade).
But, in simple terms, an ugly 2027-28 season for the Clippers would be great news for the C’s. Here’s why:
If Los Angeles’ 2028 pick lands between 1-16 and/or Philly’s is between 1-8, Boston would swap its first-rounder for the higher of those selections. If the Clippers end up outside of the lottery and the Sixers — championship hopefuls this season with their newly assembled superstar core of Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — don’t crater, the Celtics would receive LA’s first-round pick and keep their own, with the latter potentially swapped with the Spurs’ depending on where both teams finish in the standings.
Got all that?
It’s impossible to predict how any team will perform a year from now. Fortunes can change quickly in the NBA.
But the Clippers are staring at an unimpressive roster (once Leonard’s trade to Toronto is finalized, LA’s headlining players will be Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram and rookie Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft) with limited avenues to improve it for the foreseeable future. Odds are, they will not be a competitive team this season or next.
That makes their 2028 pick a valuable asset, regardless of where it falls. (The Celtics would prefer the Clippers to be bad in 2027-28, but not truly terrible, since the bottom three teams have a lower chance of winning the draft lottery under the league’s new format.)
The player it ultimately yields — be it a draft prospect or an established pro — will color how the blockbuster Brown trade is viewed in the future. It was [“obviously unpopular” at the time](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/07/06/brad-stevens-explains-why-celtics-traded-jaylen-brown-for-paul-george/), Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens acknowledged in July, as most fans expected a stronger return for the longtime franchise pillar than 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
The other first-rounder is an unprotected 2031 selection from Philadelphia. The Celtics could use either or both as trade chips next offseason, when they will have more flexibility to make bigger-ticket additions to their roster.