What happened to the Boston Celtics? A few weeks ago, Boston was the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, with all the makings of a potential dynasty. Now Jayson Tatum is out for next season and the entire roster is on the trade block as new ownership navigates the complications of a highly restrictive CBA.
Tatum might be the only untouchable on the Celtics roster right now. The plan is certaintly to contend in 2028 when Tatum is back to full strength, but what about next season? Can Boston field a contender without Tatum? Is that even affordable?
Their offseason starts with the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday. The Celtics own two picks — No. 28 and No. 32 — with a chance to add cheap depth to an increasingly expensive roster. With so many pieces in limbo, the Celtics really need to ace this draft and find at least one, ideally two real contributors with long-term equity.
This draft falls off substantially outside the lottery, but there will still be compelling prospects available in Boston's range of the draft. The best front offices find talent where others cannot. Here are a few sleepers worth monitoring when the Celtics are on the clock at No. 28 and No. 32.
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4. Ben Saraf, G, Israel
It's always easy to overlook international prospects, especially with such a deep domestic class in 2025. But Israeli 19-year-old Ben Saraf, if he falls to Boston, would qualify as tremendous value for a team expected to explore the trade market for Jrue Holiday and Derrick White in the coming weeks.
Saraf's defensive limitations will scare some NBA teams, but he's 6-foot-7 in shoes with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, elite size for a point guard. His ball-handling and playmaking creativity leaps off the screen on every watch. He won't beat his defender with quickness or physicality, but Saraf knows how to mix speeds and create angles. His shiftiness, his constant probing, opens up passing lanes and scoring opportunities alike.
He will need to convince NBA teams of his 3-point shooting, but Saraf has a nifty in-between game and nice touch around the basket. He should hit spot-ups 3s with relative frequency, even if the pull-up shooting lags behind. Put him on the floor with a dynamic downhill scorer like Jaylen Brown, and Saraf can lean into his strengths as a pick-and-roll maestro and connective facilitator. With a high feel for the game and a sterling track record of production in a top European pro league, Saraf would represent a huge victory for the Celtics on draft night.
3. Hansen Yang, C, China
Hansen Yang has been a victim of limited exposure in the U.S., but the 20-year-old big man dominated China's CBA. He will face a steep learning curve against NBA athletes, but the size and skill level pops. He's 7-foot-2 in shoes with a strong frame he has worked tirelessly to condition. There are still questions about Yang's ability to defend in space, but he's a sharp rim protector and a hard worker.
Boston needs depth in the frontcourt with multiple free agents slated to leave and Kristaps Porzingis becoming a hot commodity in trade rumors. Yang probably isn't starting day one, but he's a good developmental project. He scores with old-school footwork and finesse in the post. There is also reason to believe Yang can space the floor adequately at the next level.
Perhaps his most special attribute, however, is the passing. Yang frequently reads the floor a step ahead of the defense. He can collapse space as a passer, standing at the elbow and slinging darts through paper-thin windows to a cutting big or an open shooter. If Yang can polish his fundamentals as a screen-setter and play-finisher, that ability to playmake from the elbow and generate easy looks for teammates will help him stand apart at the next level.
2. Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas
Adou Thiero jumps off the screen quite literally in every game. He's the best pure athlete in this draft behind VJ Edgecombe, with tremendous size and strength on the wing. There are valid concerns about his rocky 3-point shooting in college, but Thiero is one of those classic "jump shot away" prospects. If he can develop a dependable jumper, man, the Celtics would look awfully smart.
Thiero generates plenty of advantages as a slasher. He's too strong and fast for most college defenders. He won't find as many easy mismatches in the NBA, but Thiero explodes through tight spaces and navigates pressure well, despite a rudimentary handle. His ability to self-create rim finishes and draw fouls is a prime star indicator.
On the defensive end, Thiero is everywhere, exploding into passing lanes and using his 7-foot wingspan to bottle up guards at the point of attack. He will find ways to contribute by sheer force of will. If the skill level catches up to his immense physical tools, then a lot of teams will feel silly for passing on him. If Boston wants to solidify its wing depth sans Tatum and swing for upside, Thiero is a dream outcome.
1. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
Is he even a sleeper at this point? Ryan Kalkbrenner won four straight Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards at Creighton, all while steadfastly improving his all-around game on offense. By his fifth and final campaign in Omaha, Kalkbrenner was a knockdown shooter and one of college basketball's most efficient interior finishers. There aren't a ton of meaningful holes in his game.
Yes, he's an older prospect. No, he's not an incredible mover in space. But Kalkbrenner can replace what Boston might lose in Kristaps Porzingis or Al Horford, giving the Celtics a dependable rim protector with a ready-made complementary skill set on offense. He can catch lobs, punish mismatches in the post, make a few savvy short roll passes and space out to the 3-point line, opening up driving lanes for Jaylen Brown and what's left of the Celtics backcourt.
Kalkbrenner feels like one of the safest floor bets in the back end of the first round or early in the second round. He's not a great rebounder for his size and it's fair to wonder if the offense can meaningfully expand beyond dunks, touch finishes and spot-up 3s, but even if Kalkbrenner is already a fully realized talent, he feels like a day-one rotation cog for a reigning top-2 seed in the East.