Who should the Boston Celtics target in the draft and for trades in the offseason?
Who should the Boston Celtics target in the draft and for trades in the offseason?
Who should the Boston Celtics target in the draft and for trades in the offseason? With the 2025 NBA draft coming at the end of next month and some hard decisions to make about which players on their roster to keep and how to get cheaper as a roster overall looming, fans of the storied ball club can expect their favorite team to look notably different at the start of the next NBA regular season.
Which rising draft prospects would be a good fit for Boston? Who ought they look to trade for around the league? The answer to these questions could be pivotal in the future direction of the team, given the considerable financial constraints the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has them under as a second apron team.
The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below!
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: https://ytubl.ink/3Ffk
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New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
How the Pacers pulled off another dramatic comeback
It wasn't looking good for the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The Eastern Conference champs had nine turnovers in the first quarter and then topped that by committing 10 in the second quarter. It was the most turnovers by a team before halftime in a postseason game in the league's play-by-play era, which began in 1997. Advertisement Indiana's defense couldn't contain NBA MVP and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was doing whatever he wanted offensively. The Thunder were dominating the Pacers in the paint. Indiana trailed OKC by 15 points with 9 minutes, 42 seconds remaining. So what happened? How did the Pacers stun the Thunder with a 111-110 Game 1 win? Here's a look at some of the key fourth-quarter moments: • After a Jalen Williams dunk at 9:42, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle calls a timeout and subs in Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner. • Immediately after entering, Nembhard scores and is fouled by Alex Caruso. Nembhard makes the free throw. Thunder 94, Pacers 81. • At 8:47, Toppin makes a 3-pointer to make it 96-85. • Turner hits a 3-pointer with 7:47 left, cutting the lead to 96-88. • Toppin and Turner make 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to pull Indiana within 98-94 with 6:16 left. • Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams each make free throws to increase the lead to six points (102-96) with 5:25 remaining. • Gilgeous-Alexander's two free throws with 2:52 left push the Thunder's lead to 108-99. • Nesmith and Nembhard hit back-to-back 3s. The Pacers now trail 108-105 with 1:59 left. • At 1:07, Pascal Siakam blocks Gilgeous-Alexander's layup attempt. • Nembhard misses a stepback 3, but Siakam grabs the offensive rebound and scores with 48 seconds left. Thunder 110, Pacers 109. • With 12.3 seconds remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander misses a short jumper just outside the paint, and Nesmith grabs the rebound. • Haliburton hits the game-winning 2-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. For the winners, Indiana outscored OKC 32-16 in the final 9:42. The Pacers only used six players in those minutes, with all of them scoring. 'When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball,' Turner said of Haliburton. 'He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn't shy away from the moment, and it's very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. Advertisement 'He just keeps finding a way, and we keep putting the ball in the right positions. The rest is history.' For the losers, the Thunder shot 4 of 16 in those closing minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander went 2 of 4 from the field (with a big miss at the end), but everyone else combined to shoot 2 of 12. (Photo of Aaron Nesmith, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
Newsweek
24 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Mavericks Trade Proposal Sees Team Move on From Anthony Davis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After a very long year, the Dallas Mavericks are entering the NBA offseason with a ton of momentum. Despite not making the playoffs, the Mavericks did win the 2025 NBA Draft lottery. More NBA news: Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Speaks Out Following NBA Finals Game 1 Collapse Dallas will now have a chance to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg, giving them an expected generational talent for years to come. But with the likelihood of them drafting Flagg, the Mavericks now have a logjam in the frontcourt. But one new trade proposal would help the Mavericks break up the frontcourt by moving on from star big man Anthony Davis. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report put together trades for all teams and had Dallas land a strong package for the All-Star. Here is what the deal looks like: Hornets receive: Anthony Davis Mavericks receive: Miles Bridges, Jusuf Nurkić, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 18: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of the Play-In Tournament at FedExForum on April 18, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 18: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of the Play-In Tournament at FedExForum on April 18, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo byTrading away Davis right after the team landed him for star guard Luka Doncic would certainly be an interesting decision. But the team didn't get enough value from the Doncic deal, and this could be a way to help rectify that. This trade would likely be about getting off the large contract of Davis, mostly due to his long injury history. Dallas could net some extra draft capital as well, giving them some ammo for a larger move down the line. Bridges could slot into the rotation as a solid wing player, offering athleticism and shooting. His contract is also team-friendly, with Bridges only making a little more than $20 million in each of the next two seasons. More NBA news: Shaquille O'Neal Shares Harsh Criticism for Thunder After NBA Finals Loss Nurkić could help replace Davis in the frontcourt, while giving the Mavericks a decent expiring contract. Dallas could look to move Nurkić at the trade deadline for more future assets. All in all, a deal like this could help Dallas in the future. But if the team wants to contend for a title next season, keeping Davis around helps in that regard. Davis is one of the better big men in the entire NBA, and the Mavericks targeted him for Doncic for a reason. The Mavericks aren't likely to move Davis anytime soon, unless a deal that the team can't turn down falls into their lap. More NBA news: Former NBA Lottery Pick Joining Rockets in Surprising Role: Report Jon Gruden Makes Shocking Pick in Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals Clippers Seen as Sleeper Team to Land Former NBA MVP: Report For more on Mavericks and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How Tyrese Haliburton and Pacers stay calm, cool and connected in the clutch
OKLAHOMA CITY — How many more times do Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers need to show us who they are for us to believe them? On Thursday night, Haliburton and the Pacers looked to be out of it. Again. Like they were in overtime in Game 5 against Milwaukee, down seven with 40 seconds left in overtime. Like they were in Game 2 against the Cavaliers in Cleveland when they were down seven with 48 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. And again, in Game 1 against the New York Knicks, when they were down 17 with a little more than six minutes to go before their epic comeback became 'The Miracle at MSG.' And now, again, in the NBA Finals, they trailed early, got within striking distance multiple times, then surrendered a run to the Oklahoma City Thunder each time. But the cardiac kids from Indiana had another fourth-quarter comeback in the tank. Haliburton hit a pull-up 2-point jumper to win it with less than a second on the clock. It was the fourth time in the playoffs that Haliburton hit a game-winning or game-tying shot. And it was the Pacers' fifth come-from-behind victory from a deficit of 15 or more points in this year's playoffs. Advertisement Before the shot, it was a quiet night for Haliburton, who finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. But when it mattered, he made his presence known. The Pacers trailed by nine with 2 minutes, 52 seconds to go before closing the game on a 12-2 run. 'I think we're just a really resilient group,' Haliburton said. 'We do just a great job of sticking in and just settling into the game. Through the course of the game … it felt like it could get ugly. Who knows where this game is heading? I thought we did a great job of just walking them down. 'When it gets to 15, you can panic or you can talk about how do we get it to 10 and how do we get it to five and from there.' But it wasn't just Haliburton. Sure, his Pacers teammates have said they go as he goes, but as usual, it took the team as a whole to get the job done. Haliburton is the one who leads. The goal is to get the ball in his hands for the final possession. 'We got it to eight pretty fast and that gave us confidence. We kept getting stops. Myles (Turner) and Andrew (Nembhard) made play after big play down the stretch,' Haliburton said. 'Myles got a wide-open look on the wing and missed that one, but we stuck with it. Andrew was huge down the stretch. We got a big stop there and had a lot of confidence in me to make that shot. 'I don't know what you say about it. I know that this group is a resilient group, and we don't give up until it's 0.0 on the clock.' Indiana's balanced depth puts teams on their heels in a matter of minutes, and Haliburton finishes them off. 'Ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,' Turner said about Haliburton. 'Some players will say they have it, but there are other players that show it. He's going to let you know about it, too. That's one of the things I respect about him. He's a baller, a hooper, and really just a gamer. Advertisement 'When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn't shy away from the moment and (it is very) important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way, and we keep putting the ball in the right positions. The rest is history.' Eastern Conference finals MVP Pascal Siakam was the first to score in double figures and led all Indiana scorers with 19 points. By the end of the game, the Pacers had six players in double figures, including all five starters. Nembhard, who was critical on defense and was the primary ball handler late, added 14 points. Obi Toppin hit five 3s that helped swing the game and finished with 17 points. 'That's been our thing the whole year, even at the beginning of the playoffs,' Toppin said. 'Everybody got the other team winning every single game. We just go out there and always do what we do,' Indiana had 18 more turnovers than OKC and 16 fewer field-goal attempts and still managed to win. They've shown a level of competitiveness and composure throughout this year's playoffs that should be synonymous with their identity at this point. 'We stay connected,' Nembhard said. 'We're going to play until the whistle blows. It didn't feel like we were down 20. I don't know what the deficit was, but it felt like we were just right there. 'Stuff that's done in the past is behind us at this point. We had 19 (turnovers) in the first half. Couldn't get much worse than that.' FINAL SECONDS? GAME ON THE LINE? That's Tyrese Haliburton's music 🎶 Tyrese has done it in EVERY. SINGLE. ROUND. — NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025 That Pacers connection starts off the court. In the locker room before games, each player is involved in their pregame ritual, yet it still feels as if their rituals overlap and affect one another. Before Thursday's game, Haliburton sat in front of his locker bobbing his head as a song by Central Cee blared on the Pacers' Bluetooth speaker. With their first NBA Finals appearance looming, everyone appeared exactly the way they always do — calm yet focused. The way they are on the court. This latest historic comeback is just who they are. In their incredible comebacks against the Bucks, Cavs, Knicks and Thunder, the Pacers were all but done, with their opponents having better than a 96 percent chance to win those respective games. But when the clock hit 0:00.0, the Pacers were the ones left standing (sometimes on a scorer's table). Advertisement 'This group never gives up,' Haliburton said. 'We never believe that the game is over until it hits zero, and that's just the God's honest truth. 'That's just the confidence that we have as a group, and I think that's a big reason why this is going on.' (Photo of Aaron Nesmith and Tyrese Haliburton: Alonzo Adams / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
