Latest Boston Celtics Rumor Fits With Brad Stevens' Expected Offseason Plan

In the crush of Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, we're finally hearing about something the Celtics might be trying to accomplish that actually makes sense

Sep 25, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks during a press conference at the Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

It’s hard to figure out right now if there's more pollen or NBA trade rumors flying around, but we finally got one that makes sense. 

According to Jake Fischer, the Boston Celtics are looking to trade up in the first round of next week’s draft. 

While Boston continues to loom as a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo landing spot, sources say the Celtics are looking to trade up in the first round of next Tuesday’s NBA Draft from their No. 27 pick.

More draft-related trade chatter here: https://t.co/Eo7hQWa9Iy https://t.co/9mZJaNBA1V

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 17, 2026

It’s not as juicy as the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors, but those have crossed into tedious. As a side note: the most believable rumor floating out there is that Boston is frustrated with those talks. At this point, everyone is. 

But while that's getting hammered out, the Celtics are going about their business and taking what appears to be the next step in a much more sensible plan. 

In a nutshell, that plan is to add a scorer who can create his own shot and then shore up the center position by using their full mid-level exception, which is $15,049,000 this upcoming season, and some portion of the $27.7 million traded player exception. 

To increase how much of that TPE they can use, they’ll very likely have to move Sam Hauser and his $10,848,215 for minimal to no return. Doing so at the draft would be an easy and effective way to do it. Either Hauser alone or Hauser and the 27th pick can be used to move up in the draft. 

The most obvious target is the Detroit Pistons and the 21st pick. The Pistons are desperate for shooting, and they can talk themselves into “drafting” Hauser at 21 and then making another selection at 27. The difference in the rookie scale salary is only $800,000, so the Celtics can feel comfortable making the jump to 21 and getting a better player without messing up their financial plan. 

A new world of options opens up at 21, with the potential for players like Allen Graves, described by the Locked On NBA Draft guide as “a 6'9" forward who does everything needed to win without ever demanding the spotlight, shooting 41% from three, disrupting with a 5% steal & block rate, and crashing the glass relentlessly in just 22 minutes a night off the bench.” Duke’s Isaiah Evans, Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr, Alabaman’s Labaron Philon Jr, or Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas could be fits at that spot as well. 

It’s not out of the question that Boston’s reported quest to trade up could be tied to the Antetokounmpo rumors. The Bucks want as many picks as they can get in this loaded draft if they're going to trade their franchise centerpiece, so we can’t rule that out. However, in trying to make sense of what’s happening in Boston’s world, trading up fits with the plan we expected all along.