The Celtics’ 2028 first-round situation is one of those draft-pick chains that looks simple on paper and turns into a maze the second you start tracing the protections.
Boston came out of the Jaylen Brown deal with Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders. One of those firsts is clean: the 76ers’ unprotected 2031 first-round pick belongs to the Celtics no matter what. The seconds are straightforward too - a 2028 second-rounder that will be the most favorable of the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder picks, plus a 2030 second-rounder that will be the most favorable of the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards picks.
The tricky part is the other first-rounder, and that’s the one now drawing extra attention after the LA Clippers were stripped of five straight first-round picks from 2029 to 2033.
Here’s the basic setup. Boston does not technically control its own 2028 first-round pick because the San Antonio Spurs hold swap rights through the Derrick White trade.
If the Celtics finish with the No. 1 pick, they keep it and send San Antonio their second-rounder. If Boston lands anywhere from No. 2 through No. 30, the Spurs can swap and take the Celtics’ pick if theirs is better.
So if Boston ends up at No. 21 and San Antonio is sitting at No. 30, the Spurs can move up to 21 and Boston slides back to 30.
That’s where the pick from Philadelphia comes in. It interacts with the Celtics-Spurs swap and changes what Boston can claim in 2028. RealGM’s full explanation lays out the structure, and Keith Smith of Spotrac also mapped out the possible outcomes soon after the trade.
In plain English, the Celtics’ 2028 result depends on where the Clippers and 76ers land in the draft.
If the Clippers land in the lottery, picks 1-16, and the 76ers land in 1-8, Boston can swap its post-Spurs pick for the best of the Clippers’ pick, the 76ers’ pick, or the lesser of Boston’s and San Antonio’s picks.
If the Clippers are in 1-16 and the 76ers are in 9-30, Boston gets the right to swap with the Clippers’ pick.
If the Clippers are in 17-30 and the 76ers are in 1-8, Boston gets the right to swap with the 76ers’ pick.
If both the Clippers and 76ers are in 17-30 and 9-30 respectively, then Boston gets the Clippers’ pick outright and keeps its own pick after the Spurs’ swap.
The clearest version of it all is this: Boston is mostly set up to swap with the Clippers in 2028, unless the Celtics’ own post-San Antonio pick lands in the top eight. That’s the one window where the 76ers pick becomes the swap target instead.
If both the Clippers and 76ers miss the lottery in 2028, the Celtics would get the Clippers’ pick on top of their own pick. In that case, it would no longer be a swap.
A graphic posted by Jack on Twitter laid out a few more examples of how the selection could unfold, and the site built around it includes a predictor tool that lets users plug in picks or randomize them to see what Boston would receive.
The Clippers’ new punishment does not directly change Boston’s 2028 pick setup, since those forfeited firsts start in 2029. But it does leave Los Angeles with fewer assets to move around, which could make improving the roster harder.
For Celtics fans watching this thing unfold, the simplest takeaway is also the one that matters most: if you want Boston’s 2028 pick situation to work out as well as possible, you’re rooting for the Clippers’ pick to land as high as it can.
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Los Angeles paid a far steeper price to get George, including multiple first-round picks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the deal has aged even worse as the Clippers' broader team-building picture has unraveled. The NBAs penalties tied to salary cap violations involving Kawhi Leonard only deepened the damage, leaving the George trade as part of a larger mess that now makes the Celtics' version look far easier to live with, even if it still raises questions. [Read more 🡒]
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The NBAs punishment of the Clippers for circumventing the salary cap has added a fresh layer of intrigue for Celtics fans, especially when it comes to a future first-round pick Boston already had a reason to track. Los Angeles was docked first-round selections for five straight years beginning in 2029, a penalty that sharply changes the way the franchise can manage its long-term draft stock and build around Kawhi Leonards uncertain team timeline.
For Boston, the immediate interest is tied to the Clippers 2028 first-rounder, which is top-16 protected and could end up being swapped with the Celtics depending on how the lottery shakes out. It is the kind of distant asset that rarely stays top of mind for long, but with the Clippers now facing a much tighter grip on their future draft control, the pick suddenly looks a lot more worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
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Whites recent shooting has only added another layer to the discussion, because even a dependable role player can start to feel less secure when a team is trying to balance performance with cost. For Boston, the question is less about whether White helps them and more about whether the financial realities around the roster eventually force harder decisions than anyone wants to make right now. [Read more 🡒]