The Celtics’ haul in the Jaylen Brown blockbuster with the Sixers includes four picks, but only one of them has turned into a real maze.
Three are easy enough to sort out: Philadelphia’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick, plus the most favorable second-rounder out of a group that includes the Warriors’, Thunder’s or Bucks’ 2028 pick, and another most favorable second-rounder from the Wizards’, Trail Blazers’ or Suns’ 2030 pick.
It’s the fourth asset that has everyone doing the math. When Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the deal, he called it a “2028 first-round pick that could convert from a first to a swap that is more favorable to Boston.”
That sounded straightforward at first, but it turns out the structure is much more layered than that. Keith Smith of Spotrac laid out the actual mechanics, and the Celtics’ own 2028 first-rounder is part of the equation, with San Antonio holding top-one protected swap rights on that pick.
According to Smith, there are four possible combinations tied to where the Clippers’ and Sixers’ 2028 picks land:
If the Clippers’ pick is between 1-16 and the Sixers’ pick is between 1-8, Boston gets the most favorable - and Philadelphia gets the two least favorable - of the Clippers’ first-rounder, the Sixers’ first-rounder, and the least favorable of the Celtics’ (top-one protected) and Spurs’ first-rounders.
If the Clippers’ pick is between 1-16 and the Sixers’ pick is between 9-30, Boston gets the most favorable - and Philadelphia gets the least favorable - of the Clippers’ first-rounder and the least favorable of the Celtics’ (top-one protected) and Spurs’ first-rounders.
If the Clippers’ pick is between 17-30 and the Sixers’ pick is between 1-8, Boston gets the most favorable - and Philadelphia gets the least favorable - of the Sixers’ first-rounder and the least favorable of the Celtics’ (top-one protected) and Spurs’ first-rounders.
If the Clippers’ pick is between 17-30 and the Sixers’ pick is between 9-30, Boston gets both the Clippers’ first-rounder and the least favorable of the Celtics’ (top-one protected) and Spurs’ first-rounders.
That last setup is the only one that gives Boston an extra first-round pick outright, as Smith noted. In the other three cases, the Celtics may be positioned for a better swap, but they’d have to part with their own first-rounder - or the Spurs’ version of it if San Antonio exercises its rights - to use it.
There’s also one more wrinkle. My understanding is that if Boston’s pick lands first overall, the Celtics would just keep it and not use any of the swaps in the first three scenarios, though they could still add the Clippers’ pick if that selection falls between 17-30.
And just to keep things from getting too tidy, Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that if the 76ers later pick up another 2028 first-round selection, the Celtics would also be able to use their swap rights on that new pick if it winds up more favorable than the others. That kind of language is unusual, and it’s not entirely clear whether the NBA would allow it, but for now it’s another layer in a trade package that already needed a flowchart.
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