The Boston Celtics kept their first-round pick, but their selection wasn’t as smooth as anticipated.
Going into Wednesday night’s NBA Draft, the Celtics had been one of the most active teams in the league. The Celtics had dealt Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for financial reasons and seemed to be in the market to potentially make much larger trades.
However, as of now, it appears that Boston is generally content with its situation on that front. Still, there was some surprise that Boston kept the No. 28 pick in the draft rather than using it in a deal to grab a team need, such as a big man.
The team drafted Hugo Gonzalez, who had most recently played with Real Madrid. The Spanish wing could be a key part of Boston’s rotation in years to come, but the team was still hoping for this pick to result in added financial flexibility.
According to a report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, The Celtics had initially searched for players who would be willing to take only 80% of the rookie-scale contract, which is the lowest amount that can be offered.
Gonzalez declined the unusual offer, but it wasn’t absurd for Boston to give it a try. Last season, as Fischer noted, the New York Knicks signed Pacome Dadiet to 80% of the rookie scale for his first year, with the dealing increasing to 120% for the final three seasons.
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Obviously, Brad Stevens and the Celtics were going to try any method to help their flexibility on the books moving forward. However, Gonzalez appears to be taking his full deal as the 19-year-old begins his NBA journey.
