The reigning champs could go from strength to strength with this new addition.
At 47-18, the Celtics have already clinched a postseason berth in the Eastern Conference. Their 72.3 percent win percentage would translate to an elite 59-23 record over the course of a full NBA season, and this summer they are seen as the odds-on betting favorites to emerge from the conference for the second straight year — and the third season in the last four.
The 54-10 Cleveland Cavaliers have run away with the top record in the East, and look to be the other serious candidate to make the Finals.
Even with a good shot to become the first team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to repeat, Boston faces an exorbitant tax bill this summer, when all its extensions finally kick in. With new ownership supposedly impending, the Celtics may have to look for cost-effective young pieces — via the draft — to help extend its title window on the margins of Joe Mazzulla's rotation.
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In a fresh mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, Boston is projected to select Real Madrid small forward Hugo Gonzalez with the No. 28 pick in this June's 2025 NBA Draft. Last week, Wasserman mocked the promising 19-year-old as the No. 25 selection.
The 6-foot-7 swingman has a similar athletic profile to Golden State combo forward Jonathan Kuminga, a restricted free agent likely in for a promising windfall this summer from the 37-28 Warriors.
"Hugo Gonzalez could easily be selected early by a team that's willing to put more stock into the U18 and FIBA tape," Wasserman writes, while cautioning that Gonzalez's play in 2024-25 with a seasoned club at the level of Real Madrid has been limited. "Averaging just 2.0 points in Euroleague and 4.9 points in ACB play, he's had no real opportunity this year to build any confidence or showcase growth as a shooter and shot-creator."
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Wasserman appears to essentially suggest that Gonzalez's talent outflanks his current production, which could make him something of a high-ceiling steal for a veteran-laden championship club like the Celtics, who theoretically could be open to a project player. Then again, might it behoove Boston to seek out win-now pieces, even if their theoretical upsides are a bit more finite?
"He's been on the radar for years due to his NBA wing size, athleticism around the basket, defensive energy and capable shotmaking," Wasserman notes on Gonzalez. "Gonzalez's draft stock just may be vulnerable, considering how little he's been able to show over the past season with Real Madrid."
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